My Father was a Hero No One Knew
by RueLin
Summary: Five years. It's been five long years since a nameless hero, Uchiha Itachi, was killed. He was my father. My name is Uchiha Yukimura.
1. First Meeting, Part 1

First meeting, part one

_Past is past and we must live the present to survive the future. ~Martin Duncavne_

It was during one of his early years that Yukimura first met his only blood relative from his late father's side. His young mother had told him when he was only five at the time, but he honestly couldn't remember. All he really did remember was that it was almost dinner time, because his little tummy was rumbling and his mother was hurrying around the kitchen and the sweet aroma of hot food filled the small house.

It had been a particularly lonely week for him since he had gotten yet another fever from the boiling summer heat and had to stay in the house. Why he remembered this and not his age at the time he didn't understand. He guessed it was probably because he often got sick as a child and it was often really bad.

His mother, Mayuri, who was the lily as her name suggested, was a very beautiful woman as many had told him. But no matter how much he looked at her "beautiful" never came across. "Beautiful" wasn't enough to describe her, a young woman who was barely out of her teenage years raising him up alone. She had always been the sky to him, an awesome expanse of whatever he needed her to be.

He was dozing off that evening waiting for his long waited dinner when suddenly there was a tiny, barely audible sound at their back door. His hearing has always been beyond a human's and his senses, including the sixth, were as well developed as a high-ranked ninja, even as a child.

"Mother," he said in his quiet voice, almost nodding off, "there's someone at the door."

Mayuri always knew her child was special. He had inherited many of his father's attributes, which she supposed was one of the many blessings from him. She knelt down across the small table and gently held his shoulder and gave him a little shake.

"Was it the front door or the back door, dear?" she asked tenderly.

"The back," Yuki mumbled sleepily.

His desire for sleep vanished almost immediately as he watched his mother's face intently. Yuki raised his head, and he could tell she was deciding whether to investigate or not. He could always tell what she was thinking. But this time, the lines on her face were firmer, serious.

Mayuri glanced at the direction their back door was located and swiftly turned to her son. "Stay here," she said. In a quick motion she got up and ran for the door.

Yuki wanted to run after her. He remembered feeling alone and left behind as his mother exited the kitchen on her doe legs and disappeared behind the cabinets for storage. But he knew she would come back. He put his arms on the table and used it as a pillow and waited for her patiently.

Just then the rain started to pip plop on the ceiling and soon showered down. The summer typhoon was coming around again.

Mayuri clamped her hands around the metal brass doorknob. The odds were against her. He could already be gone and she would be hit with disappointment again like the many times she tried to catch him before he disappeared into the dense forest behind her house.

But then again, what would she do if he was there? She couldn't think straight when Yuki told her he'd heard something. It could have been a raccoon or a fox or some other kind of animal living outside.

She closed her eyes and prayed for the best and opened the door. The cold wind and slashing rain hit her hard. But she reminded herself this might be a once in a lifetime chance. Don't waste it.

The back door opening came as a total surprise to the Missing Nin. A typhoon was coming about and the wind and rain was already at a speed that could take down trees. No woman in her clear mind would come out looking for him, especially when he was careful enough to put the supplies down as quietly as possible. No one could have heard or seen him, yet she opened the door just as he was about to leave in haste.

Her blonde hair whipped around her small lily white face, which was even paler than it usually was. Her deep violet eyes had a gray, silvery glow to them that reflected the rain and bore down to his soul, at the evil he has done to her and her child. Guilt sliced through him like a hot blade searing right to his heart.

His eyes felt like they were going to burst out in tears, but he held those emotions back. He was a ninja, and a Missing Nin at that. There was no room in his sinful heart for tears, for he hadn't the right to shed them.

The two of them looked at each other. Even though the one person that tied them together was no longer here, fate still found a way for the two of them to meet.

"Sasuke-san," she said in nothing more than a whisper, but his trained ears found the words.

He waited for the harsh, cruel, and vindictive accusations he deserved. To more than anyone in the world, those words belonged to her. To her and the child she bore for his brother. The more they condemned him to hell the better it was for everyone. The more they hated him the easier it would be for them. That's what he had thought anyways.

But there was nothing. No accusation, no hatred. The two just stared at each other for a very long time. Neither knew what to do or say to make the tension go down.

Finally, Sasuke turned slowly to leave. Maybe he'd never see her again. Maybe he'd never come back to this house, or ever go near the two of them ever again. He had given her the chance to take it out on him, but she had said nothing. Even supposing that, he still wished she had said something.

"Wait," Mayuri called after him.

He could have easily just walked away; she had no power over him. She had no power over him, but his feet just wouldn't move. He would not let himself move.

Mayuri hesitated nervously. He remembered that she had always been a strong-willed person. Well, that was how she seemed when he first met her six years ago. Her eyes were the same, effervescent as ever, as they shone when she looked over her shoulder and right into his eyes.

Those memories were so vivid, as if they happened yesterday. He closed his eyes to blot them out like he always did. Emptying his mind and becoming an assassin again like thousands of other times. An empty shell made for killing.

But this time, maybe it was because of her, but the memories only became more lucid.

He had just killed his own brother. The very mission of his life, accomplished. Done. Finished. Then Uchiha Madara had shared with him the sad truth about his clan's extinction, about his brother's sacrifice. He was burning with rage. How can Konoha push her own warrior to his death and then label him as a criminal for the world to chase and despise?

He had agreed to work with Madara and the Akatsuki to plummet Konoha into the ground where it came from. To burn every house, every livestock. To leave its mothers crying as they watch their children murdered, and to hear the desperate cry of the men and warriors as they can do nothing about it at all.

He didn't know what led him to that sacred pond. He was probably just looking for a place to cool his head, calm his emotions and think of a plan. Or maybe just somewhere he could be alone to mourn for his brother's death. All he knew was that he was still confused when he walked into the abandoned temple.

He walked down the empty and dark halls of the old temple aimlessly, without direction. Well, it was meaningless until he walked out to the back where the sacred spring, or what was left of the spring.

The lady stood over his brother's body lying by the ruined steps of the pool with her back to Sasuke. He suddenly felt like he didn't belong. There were water lilies of pink, white, and blue floating over the crystal clear water dancing with the ripples from the fall of water.

The woman in the pool dipped a white cloth in the water and whipped away the blood stained on the cheek of his brother's face. Her motions had a certain feel to them that made Sasuke know immediately she was someone special. Her long golden hair was bound together in a thick loose braid.

Her fingers were long and skillfully manicured, but she couldn't have been a lady of the court or a rich and pampered daughter of a prosperous family at all, Sasuke had thought as he examined her who touched his brother's body. She was wearing no more than a_ hadajuban_ and a _susuyoke, _just under garments. But then he doubted that she knew anyone would actually come here.

Something on her finger twinkled under the light as she pulled back a strand of hair from Itachi's face.

_A ring?_ Sasuke thought. He took a shaky step to take a closer look, throwing his ninja instincts away. _Did he destroy more than just a brother?_ He thought and panicked.

He was just about to turn around to hightail it out of there when she suddenly turned around, her lilac eyes capturing him. How sorrowful they were. She had been crying for the whole night, but had not dropped a tear as she washed the dead man at her feet.

Sasuke froze in his step.

"You," she said, pausing. He didn't know how fearful his face looked. Like a guilty child who wanted to dig a hole and hide in it away from reality. He dropped his head and looked away.

"Sasuke-san," she whispered.

She tried to sound as gentle as possible. He had instructed her to watch over his younger brother before his departure. She didn't want to scare him away. He had told her everything, all the secrets of his life and what he found out. Well, enough to know what kind of person he was. He couldn't risk her life just like how he could not kill Sasuke.

Sasuke looked at the ring on her finger again. There could be no mistake, but he needed her to confirm it with her words.

"Who are you?" he asked harshly, building a thick wall between his heart and his mind.

She stepped out of the water and wrapped a _haori_ hanging from a low branch around her small body. She walked barefoot across the grass until she was but a few feet away from him. She wanted to show him that she meant him no harm, but he became defensive.

"I asked you who are you?" Sasuke asked again, his voice raising. He needed the answer, no matter what it was, he could deal with it. But he needed the words to come out of her mouth.

She waited patiently for him to calm down before she answered his question. "They call me Shinpi, but your brother called me Mayuri. He married me in secret."

Doom. Her answer brought about his ugly side. Her existence and the existence of the life she was bearing in her was the proof of his hideous crime.

He knew she was with child just by watching they way she moved around, they way she cherished her own body because of what was growing inside of her. What did he owe her and her son? Nothing he could ever give back.

She reached out to him with the cloth that she used to wipe away the blood that tainted his soul and body, but he backed away. He didn't deserve the kindness of her touch or the love that she offered. He should just quickly get away from her, disappear and never appear before her again.

But his heart melted. Could she really forgive him? After all that he had done. She should hate him. Hate his gut and curse him to hell.

He turned around as those fingertips were just inches away. He saw in the shadow of the building he emerged from he who told him the truth, Uchiha Madara and his twisted mask. He stood there beckoning his newly acquired underling into his revolting darkness of revenge and killing. He held out his gloved hand at Sasuke as if he could not walk under the purifying light. As if it would completely destroy him and his filthy soul.

Sasuke took a casual step towards him when he heard the words that would almost kill him.

"Uchiha Madara," Mayuri had spoken to him like he was the devil. And indeed he was, but Sasuke had to learn that he hard way much, much later.

He glanced back at her. How had she known who he was? He was about to ask her when her eyes moved back on him after Madara.

With a piercing glow to her mauve eyes, they looked like they would strangle him with some invisible power he couldn't fight against.

"Why are you with him?" she asked, her voice raising a pitch with rage and disbelief. She took a scornful step towards him and held her hands in fists. "Why are you with Uchiha Madara? Have you lost your mind? Or are you too confused to understand right from left?" she spewed out before he could answer. "Did your own brother's death mean nothing to you? The message he left behind? Nothing?"

Her hair whipped around her face like whips of lightening and Sasuke was afraid of her. More afraid of this tiny woman than anything he has ever faced. She held her head up to look right at him, expecting an answer that he failed to give her.

Before he could think any further he felt a hard slap across his face. It was cold and hard like stone, a more powerful blow than any attack he has withstood, but it was one he had to survive with.

She fell to the ground soundlessly. Sasuke just stood there and held a hand at his cheek which has started to turn a bold, angry red. After that he wasn't aware of anyone else around them. He looked at the ring around her finger, just a wedding band without any kind of design except for a moonstone set in the center. It matched her well, her simple beauty.

He looked down on her head of gold and uttered just one word.

"Sorry."

Then he left the serene place silently.

Mayuri was left alone at that place, her tears pouring out her eyes. What had she done? She just rejected the one person her beloved had asked her to watch over, and all because her emotions had sky-rocketed for a second. She drove away something he had left her with.

How she regretted what she had done. But now, she had a second chance. He, Sasuke, was standing right in front of her. Waiting for her in the icy rain just like the last time they met.

"Um," she said, trying to come up with a reason for him to stay. "It's late and there's a typhoon coming. Can't you for just one night? Dinner is almost ready and you are welcomed to join us," she said in a flash over the wind.

Sasuke stood there like a thick tree. Mayuri could see his dark eyes, emotionless and poised like his brother's. But he wasn't. He wasn't at all like his brother. She knew how to make him laugh, even if it was only a chuckle or a smile. But his eyes brightened each time and she felt giddy inside at the sight of him. She knew how to tease him and break his frozen façade. She knew how to make his stress fade and let him sleep quietly.

But Sasuke was not her husband. She was at a loss of words.

"What can I do to make you stay?" she asked hopelessly. "What can I do to deserve a second chance?"

Sasuke looked at her, baffled. She was asking him for a second chance? She of all people? And for what? Not having the chance to yell at him? Spit on him, curse him?

But he knew she wasn't like that. He knew she was compassionate and still faithful to his brother, a hardworking mother, and perhaps crazy for letting her husband's killer into her house. She was loony, but he couldn't help but accept that. He could only accept her.

He took a reluctant step towards her. Perhaps here, in that small little house, he could find peace. Or he'd find what he has expected for five years. But he took the chance and walked to that tiny woman he'd learn to call Sister, to her boy, whom he will considered to be a son, and the house he wouldd learn to call home.

* * *

**Author's Note: As usual I don't own any of the original Naruto characters or places of interest. This is simply just fan fiction. Um, when I wrote this I assumed that Uchiha Madara died in his war against Konoha and both Naruto and Sakura are both alive. Just a side note. Don't forget to leave a review. :D**

**RueLin**


	2. First Meeting, Part 2

First Meeting, part two

_No matter what a man's past may have been his future is spotless. ~Hannah More (1745-1833)_

At the dinner table Yukimura returned to his dozing state when he heard an extra pair of footsteps. He opened his drowsy eyes and looked for his mother's figure. He rubbed his large black eyes and focused better. While he had fallen asleep, the sun had set and the kitchen had gotten darker. But Yuki could still see two figures towering over him.

He recognized his mother, her white apron over her pale skin. But there was a larger, darker person behind her, hiding in the shadow. His sleepy eyes fluttered as the fluorescent lights blinked on.

The man stood by the small refrigerator in the dark. Yuki was a bit frightened by the look on his face. It wasn't menacing, but nonetheless, he felt a chill run down his spine. He had a towel around his shoulders that Mayuri had given him and reminded Yuki of a demon lord he had read in a storybook.

"Yuki dear," his mother said quietly as she knelt down beside him.

"Mother," he said, confused. "Who is that person?" he asked quietly so the man wouldn't hear.

"He's your uncle, Sasuke," she said.

"Uncle?"

"Yes. He came a very far way to come here. Why don't you say, 'hello?'"

"Hello," he said shakily. "Nice to meet you. My name is Yukimura."

Sasuke didn't reply or even react. He just stood there patiently watching him. His eyes flicked to Mayuri. He was surprised when he found her smiling at her son as she combed her fingers through his hair. The boy looked exactly like his father.

Sasuke closed his eyes and covered his face with his hand. His heart was in racing circles in his chest. They all felt awkward in the room, but Yuki was intrigued with the stranger her mother called his uncle.

The first impression Yuki had of Sasuke was that of a cool silent ninja hero that gave off a demeaning aura. He couldn't help peeking up at him swiftly as they ate at dinner. But as soon as Sasuke's eye fell on him, Yuki quickly turned back to his bowl and ate in silence.

After dinner, while Mayuri was cleaning up, Yuki played with his rubber ball at the corner of the kitchen entrance as she watched Sasuke sitting on the far end of the living room in the dark corner adjacent to the kitchen where there was barely any light at all.

Sasuke watched the little boy constantly glance back at him as the boy rolled his ball around his lap, too nervous to approach him. He didn't know how to interact with kids. But he remembered when he was just a five year old kid. Everything had impressed him then, no matter how awfully someone had done it, or how unskillful it was. It had awed him just the same.

He stretched out his hand from his long dark sleeve. And small flame floated on top of his palm. How many times had he used this flame to destroy the bodies of his enemies' to a crisp? Now he was using it entertain a boy who barely has all his teeth.

The little flame captured Yuki's interest like a cat to a yarn ball. He watched, widening, and his mouth opened large, gaping.

He flipped his hand around and held it in a fist as the fire died, and becoming no more than a billowing smoke smoldering to the ceiling. Yuki leaned a forward, only slightly nervous. He was still sucked up in the "magic" of Sasuke's_ jutsu_. Sasuke turned his hand up again with his fingers flat out and the flame came back, lighting up his dark corner. After he turned the fire on and off again, he used another trick with fire.

He spread out his fingers. Each finger lit up with a little flame as Sasuke made them he made them dance around his palm, creating different shapes and figures. Then he gathered them into a bigger flame and clasped his hand around it, smothering the dancing flame.

Yukimura was speechless for a long time. The first thing that occurred to him was to tell his mother, who had just finished washing the dishes.

"Mother, Mother!" he said, tugging at the corner of her apron.

"What is it, dear?" she asked patiently as she squatted to wipe down the table.

As he was about to tell her mother about the magic flame from Sasuke's hands he was at a loss of words as to what to call him. So, he just pointed.

Mayuri looked over at Sasuke who was sitting at the corner looking over, being just a little more attentive than she thought he would be.

"What is it Yuki? What did Uncle do?" she asked.

Sasuke's heart jumped a little when he heard her call him that.

Yuki opened up his hands, palm-up like Sasuke, and shouted, "_Fire!_ Fire came from his hand! And then his fingertips," he said in a mouthful.

"Did he now?" she said with a smile as she placed her hand across his forehead to take his temperature. Then she glanced up at the clock. 8:14. "Yuki, I think you should take a bath and go to bed. You better go to bed earlier or you'll never get better," she said. Yuki glanced over at Sasuke one more time. "Now go get your clothes and I'll prepare the bath water."

Yuki stood up on his little legs and went over to his room. Mayuri was alone with Sasuke again. Think of something clever to say, she told herself. The rain that pitter-pattered outside reminded her of the _hyoshigi_ instrument and its clacking sounds. It had been one of the few things that brought them together, her and her husband.

"It's still raining quite hard," she said. "Why don't you stay until the rain stops," she invited.

"I can't wait until then," he said huskily. The rain probably wasn't going to let up any time soon, but he couldn't stay here for that long. Not like this. "I may be your son's uncle, but I'm still a rogue ninja. There are people after me here. You and your son will be pulled into danger if I stay for long."

Mayuri felt disappointed and blamed herself. If only she didn't reject his choice when she first met him, perhaps he would be more open to her. "At least stay for tonight."

Sasuke averted his eyes from hers cautiously, or else he be sucked into their depths. He let out a long taut sigh and Mayuri smiled. She knew that meant he agreed.

"Mother," Yuki called.

"Coming," she said and went to her son to bathe him.

Mayuri sat in the steamy room, aside the tub with Yuki. She couldn't help but smile as they blew up bubbles and popped them in the water, making all the little bubbles come up.

"Mother," Yukimura said, looking up at her face, "what are you smiling about?"

"Nothing much," she said, patting his head.

"Aw, tell me," he said turning around in the water.

"It's a secret," she said and laughed as he made an adorable pouting face. His eyebrows looked like two "U's" on his face.

But soon he was distracted by the gold of his mother's hair as it glistened in the steam. He wrapped the strands around his fingers and imagined them as the fire from Sasuke's hands.

"Mother," he said ready to ask a question.

"What is it?" she asked as she washed the soap away from his back.

"How do you make fire come from you hands?" he asked.

"You mean how your uncle did it?"

"Yea."

"Well, I don't know. I'm not a ninja. Maybe you can ask him when you're older and he'll teach you. But I think we've been in here long enough. Let's get you out and get into bed before you become too prune-y," she said as she lifted him out of the water. She set him carefully on the towel she laid on the floor when they came in.

She dried him quickly so he wouldn't catch another cold and dressed then dried. She dressed herself, leaving the towel wrapped around her shoulders so her clothes wouldn't become damp.

"Yuki," she said as he was about to run to the living room where Sasuke was still sitting at. She knew very well he wanted to see him again.

Yuki turned around and gave her an innocent look. His large round puppy eyes made her heart melt. It was unbearable to let down a face so pure.

She let out a sigh. "Go say good night to your uncle and then straight to bed in my room."

"In your room? What about my room?" he asked.

"Your uncle is going to use that room. You can't expect him to share a room with you since you're still sick," she told him. Of course it was just an excuse. She really couldn't leave her son with him just yet. Not until she understood his plans. What he was doing and what he would soon do. "Now go."

Yuki was still just as happy to see the strange cool man one more time, but when he saw him sitting at his dark corner he felt a bit perturbed again. So he just hid behind the wall and jutted his head out slightly.

"Good night," he said quietly, waiting for a response.

Sasuke turned his head around slowly and looked into the boy's face. "Good night," he said even more quietly, but Yuki heard. His hearing was impeccable. His face gleamed when Sasuke said that. He turned away to go to Mayuri's room, a large smile on his face.

"Then, we'll be off to sleep. If you don't mind you can use Yuki's room tonight. It's across from the kitchen," Mayuri said and then watched him as he got up in one swift motion.

While standing up his head almost touched the ceiling. She didn't remember him being that tall. He walked across the room as if he was floating, avoiding all the little toys and cushions on the floor with ease and entered Yuki's room without a word. The futon was already laid out since Yuki had been in bed most of the day.

Mayuri returned to her room and played with Yuki just a little to get him tired and told him the usual bedtime story he would ask for, one he believed she made up about the traveling minstrel and a dark ninja who had many secrets.

He particularly liked the minstrel since he created her to be just like his mother, with her pretty blonde hair and delicate fingers. That was how he imagined her to be; exactly like his mother. But he could never imagine the face of the ninja; no face was handsome enough to match the beautiful musician. But today he thought that Sasuke might just look like the ninja in his imagination would look like. Icy cool silent, dark, and mysterious with just a little hint of danger.

"And then what happens?" Yuki asked as they got to the ending.

"What do you mean, 'and then what happens?' You know this story backwards and forwards. How many times have I told it to you?" she said. "You probably know it better that I do."

"Yea, but let's change the ending this time," he said with a childish grin. He wanted the story to end the way he wanted it to end. "Let's make the Ninja go away to help fight the war, but then he dies and never comes back to the minstrel."

Mayuri fell silent as her heart dropped from her chest to her stomach. Perhaps it had even stopped beating. All sound and feeling droned on and left her. Warmth and light was drained from her body. He left her. Her body felt like it was shrinking in her skin as the air escaped her lungs.

"Mother?" she heard Yuki almost cry as he shook her shoulders with his little hand. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," she said, whipping a bead of sweat away and taking a few deep breathes as subtly as possible. "So then," she asked to get Yuki to stop worrying about her, "what happens to the minstrel?"

"Um, well," he said, "I haven't thought about that yet. What do you think should happen to her?" he asked as he curled his mother's hair around his finger.

"Well, let's see. How about this? She gets a house, not too big, not too small and then has a little boy that can't stop asking questions," she said while tickling her son until he was too tired to move at all.

Yuki put his head in Mayuri's lap, signaling he was ready to sleep. "Alright, time to close your eyes, little one," she whispered in her lovely voice as she smoothed out his jet black hair. Yuki closed his eyes obediently and Mayuri started humming a song she had written herself. Around the middle of the song, she weaved in another part different that the usual, a part just for Yukimura.

Soon he was snoozing away in his own dreamland. Mayuri set his head on the pillow and switched off the light and slid the sliding door closed quietly. Now it was time to do the bills; mom time.

She walked quietly to the kitchen to get a glass of water and readied herself for a night's work of calculating numbers and stressing over how to keep a roof over their heads. She took the old file where she kept it all and was ready to work when a dark figure at the corner of the living room frightened her.

She let out a tiny yelp, and water spilt on the ground when she realized it was Sasuke. She set the papers and the water down and sat on the ground to calm down. Sasuke didn't move, but his eyes followed her.

"So what are you doing here?" she asked quietly as she sorted out the papers. "Can't sleep?"

"Something like that," he answered half heartedly.

"Insomnia?" She said more than asked.

"No. Just not used to sleeping on comfortable futons," he said coldly.

"Haven't laid your head on pillow in too long," she said, like she totally understood that feeling. In a way she did.

Sasuke looked up at her to see if she could read minds.

Mayuri smiled. "I've had this conversation before. You're not that different from your brother."

Sasuke didn't say anything. He looked over at some boxes that were stacked on a shelf by size. Instruments, he thought.

Mayuri took a peek at Sasuke and found him staring at the boxes. Then she had an idea.

"I can play them for you if you'd like," she said with a smile. "Perhaps you'll be able to sleep with a little music."

Honestly, he doubted that it would work. He had too many years of crouching next to a fire on icy nights keeping an eye opened for things bigger than bedbugs on missions that might cost his life to be vexed to sleep by a little string twanging. But he let her. There was no harm in that. He'd keep his promise and stay here for one night and be gone the next morning.

Mayuri took out her beloved _kokyu _and placed the bow at the three strings and started playing the melody of a song everyone should be familiar with, _Sakura_. The famous tune was the best for calming hearts.

Music. Something Sasuke hasn't sat down to enjoy before. When he was younger all he thought was about getting the approval of his parents and catching up to his brother, then revenge, then more revenge until he was at his limit. How he found himself at her house with her son sleeping in her bedroom and her playing music for him.

Soon she started to hum a harmony. He couldn't help but close his eyes, let a tune sink in for once. It may never happen again, so he took the chance to believe in the peace people that have the time and money to enjoy music say it brings.

Suddenly the tune changed. It was the song she sang to Yuki. There was a sadness to it that could have broken anyone's heart.

"I played this song for him many times," she said suddenly. "I didn't know if he slept or not when I played for him, but he made it seem like he was."

Sasuke didn't want to get on a subject talking about his brother, but she seemed so inviting.

"Were you that minstrel in the story?" he asked.

"You heard?" she asked. "Yes."

That topic died. He thought of a new one unconscientiously and said it.

"Yukimura," he said quietly, using the boy's name, "looks a lot like his father."

"He is completely like his father, didn't get a drop of his genes from me. I hope he doesn't inherit his father's illness along with his great abilities."

The tune switched to the part she sang for Yuki. The melody was softer, less melancholy than before. The two didn't talk for a long times as she played for him.

After a while she spoke. "So what are you doing now, if you don't mind me asking," she said. "Don't worry. I won't tell anyone."

And it was the truth. She wouldn't ever sell him out and he knew it. That, added with the guilt that still made his heart heavy, made him feel compelled to tell her.

"After Uchiha Madara was killed," he started thinking perhaps she would feel relieved that the man is dead, "I disbanded my renegade team. Or what was left of it. There was still one that wished to follow me, and he's still out there looking for me," he said. "I hid in different countries, concealing myself, using aliases and working as a mercenary. That's all I have done for the last five years."

His eyes felt heavy. _What kind of spell she used on him?_ he thought. Then the melody changed again, this time just a little more dramatic and dark. Then it took a turn for better like the climax of a story.

"This is for you," she said continuing the awkward yet touching tune. It switched between dark and light. It was him at the time, but he didn't know. Perhaps this place wasn't as bad as he thought it was.

He didn't know when he drifted into something humans called sleep, but he remembered he enjoyed it. The music played in his head. How nice it felt. Something new to look forward to, he told himself.

The next morning Mayuri found a pouch of money on her living room table with a note stuck under it. She read it to herself and smiled. He'd be back. That's what he promised. Nothing could be better than that, although Yuki was a bit disappointed that the man with fire hands was gone.


	3. Second Meeting, Part 1

Second meeting, part one

_Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. ~ Albert Einstein_

Sasuke stood outside the gray metallic door of the old house. He noted to himself that it badly needed a paint job. He held his hand up to knock on the door when it came flying open. A seven year old kid came crashing through with his foot aimed at Sasuke's stomach since that was the highest he could reach.

Instead of stepping aside like what most people would do when a kid was flying at them, Sasuke just caught his foot skillfully and dangled him in the air like a piñata.

"That is not fair!" he yelled. "You are taller, Uncle!"

"Then you shouldn't have rammed through the door when I tried to come in," Sasuke told him as he brought him in the house without setting him down.

"Shirakawa Yukimura!" his mother scolded him as Sasuke set him on the ground. "What in the world do you think you are doing?"

"I'm sorry Mother, but I'm just so excited!" he exclaimed after showing her his puppy face which hadn't become any less cute as he got older. "By next week school starts and I get to start training to become a ninja! But Uncle will still teach me right? He's better than any of the teachers there."

"Even so, that's no reason to greet a person nevertheless your Uncle by leaping through the door attempting to land a blow on him," she said in one long breath.

"Its okay, Sister," Sasuke said putting a hand on her small shoulder. "Let him be excited. He's still a boy. That kind of energy is good."

"I suppose," she said, not really agreeing with him.

She liked what he called her now. Sister. Since he saw her again two years ago he had gotten comfortable around them, visiting every one or two months. Yuki has started to cling on to him whenever he came. The building they lived was also remodeled and gave them an extra room for him to stay in when he was here.

"Here," he said and put a pouch in her hand. This had become routine, although Mayuri had always tried to refuse his kindness.

"Oh no, Sasuke-san," she said, trying to push the money back to him. "I can't take this. Its money you've earned."

"We have this conversation every time I come," he said. "Just take it. Think of it as a rent for the days I'm here and a loan for the days I'm not here."

"Very well," she said as she put it with the files she still used to keep the bills.

Truthfully, with Sasuke's help they were able to keep the house with the extra room that they got. If it weren't for him, she and Yuki would have to relocate a year ago when their bank account hit an all time low. There was just not that many people interested in listening to music these days, especially since they were still busy with rebuilding the village.

There was talk of a new _Hokage_ coming to reign. He was a rather popular figure. Mayuri didn't know who he was but simply new a name. Uzumaki Naruto. From what she had heard of him, he was young and quite skilled with a lot of potential and just following his father's footsteps, but she was still considered a new comer to the village and didn't know too much. She preferred to stay away from rumors and gossip.

"Uncle, can we go training?" Yuki asked eagerly.

"Yuki, your uncle just got here. Let him rest," Mayuri said.

"But…"

"It's okay, Sister, I can rest after dinner," he said with a slight smile. The smile had also been something he had been doing lately.

"Okay then. Dinner's at six and don't be a second late or you'll be hungry tonight," she threatened.

"Okay," Yuki said running to the front door to bring his shoes to the back. He had only heard half of what his mother had said; had had been too excited. "Let's go," he said as he pulled Sasuke out the door. "See you later, Mother."

"Be careful," she yelled as they closed the door. Sasuke waved just as the door closed. She went to the sink and adjusted the ring on her finger. "Can you see?" she asked no one in particular. "See how happy he is now compared to three years ago?"

At dinner they ate a wonderful dinner and even had a couple of laughs. Although most of the time it was just Yuki telling his stories. Mayuri laughed freely at the way her son told the stories with all his might, sometimes not breathing for very long run-on sentences. Sasuke would just usually smile his quiet smile as if he were watching it on a television. Not really participating, but smiling nevertheless.

After dinner Sasuke went to his room to rest. He said he had a rendezvous early the next morning. He was still doing mercenary work, but toned down on the dangerous part. Even though he still used aliases and fake faces sometimes, there were many dodgy characters out there what would be just happy to take his head off his shoulders.

The light in Sasuke's room was off, Mayuri was cleaning up around the kitchen space, and Yuki was wondering about something in his little brain.

"Mother," he said.

"Yes, dear, what is it?" she asked, turning around to wipe the table.

"Why do you always set out an extra seat at the table?" he asked innocently.

Mayuri was surprised at what he asked about but then supposed that it would come one day. Yuki had always been a particularly bright.

"Well," she said, "I put this old cushion out at the table everyday because it's reserved for a very special person even though he's not here."

"Is it my father?" he asked. At seven years old, he still hadn't gotten the concept of a father yet. Well, that was to be expected and explained why he clung onto Sasuke as much as he did. He looked up to Sasuke as a father figure.

"Yes. It is your father," she said.

"How did the two of you meet?" he asked, which surprised Mayuri. She had always thought that he would ask what kind of person he was or what he looked like. Why there weren't any pictures of him around the house?

"You really want to know? Even if it's a mushy story?" she asked.

"I don't mind. Its father and mother, how bad can it be," he reasoned.

"Okay then," she said and started the story he would be familiar with. She tried to simplify the story for him, but it brought her to those peaceful days.

When she was six years old, a group of nomads found her almost frozen on a winter's day traveling south from the Earth Country. Her leg was broken and she had amnesia. They gave her the name Shinpi because her past was mysterious and she was a lonely child to be found alone, abandoned.

She learned to play musical instruments from their old minstrel and found to have perfect pitch which helped her learn her trade. Soon she wasn't just known to be Shinpi the lonely child, but also the beautiful minstrel. As a child she was harassed for her unknown past and treated as trash except for the minstrel who saw her like a daughter. But after he died, there were still a few males in the group that wanted to pursue her. But she never turned her head at them. She knew exactly the kind of man she would marry, someone that enjoyed her music to the max and not just how pretty she was.

She first met him when she was fifteen and he was sixteen under the strangest of circumstances. The tribe stopped at Amekagurefor a few months just like they always did. When they passed by, it had been a complete coincidence that the two of them met at all.

She was just buying a long list of groceries at the market when he ran into her. Or technically, she ran into him. As a nomad, she had learned some tough ways to bargain for your way and was in a heated negotiation with the fish trader when he suddenly shoved her into the street and right onto the street. She got up to try and calm him down and talk it over with him when the fisherman abruptly threw a rotten fist at her that wouldn't sell the day before.

Its guts splattered over her hair and face in an ugly mess and she was made a laughingstock even among her friends who came with her. She didn't want to get mad on the streets; someone might see and it would have damaged her reputation as a minstrel, so she quickly covered her face and was ready to pick up her _kokyu_ and leave when he appeared.

After the fish a variety of edible foods were thrown at her too, tomatoes and eggs or whatever you could find in a stir fried dish. It was all flying through the air at her. Her first worry was of her musical instrument. It was a keepsake from her mentor and a delicate masterpiece by its creator. She picked it up and held the case tightly in front of her chest and ready to leave when the fish trader came out and shoved her again hard.

She stumbled a couple of steps before she almost toppled right into the cape when someone appeared and caught her. Everyone shut their mouths and returned to what they were doing and scattered. The _Akatsuki _were the lords of the country.

The man balanced the girl on her feet again before he left silently with his partner.

"Thank you," she said to him. Instead of replying, he ignored her which set her off. He was neither a customer nor her boss and the way he treated her was rude and she would have her way. "Hey!" she called after him but was ignored again. So, she followed him leaving her friends and the mess behind. Who cared about second grade fish anyways?

She tried hard to follow them but soon found that his partner had left him. He walked down a long alleyway and evidently tried to lose her but she followed insistently. Finally he made himself disappear, hoping that she would give up on searching for him, but she only looked more for him the next day.

He watched for her the next few days, waiting for her to give up looking for a high ranked ninja that didn't want to be seen, but she was persistent. She would call out, "Hey, guy who helped me!" on the streets all day and night.

After three weeks of searching, she found him on the streets. He was just standing in the middle of the busy city as if he wanted her to find him. And there was no mistake it was him, just the way he stood was demeaning to others. People tried to avoid all contact from him.

She had heard about the _Akatsuki_ and how horrible they were, but she wasn't afraid of him. After all, he helped her save her precious_ kokyu_ from swimming in the harbor. She ran towards him and grabbed onto his sleeve when she was there to make sure he was real and he didn't run away like that last time.

He was silent and amazingly tall. She had to look way up just to see his face. He didn't move and she thought he didn't even breathe with how silent he was.

"Hi, I was looking everywhere for you," she said, very straightforward. "Why did you run away last time?"

He didn't answer her; he had no obligation to.

"Anyways, I just wanted to thank you properly. You saved my _kokyu_. You don't know how much I owe you. Please let me pay you back," she said.

"Stop looking for me," he said with a monotone voice. Her heart jumped a little when his deep tenor voice attracted her. It was beautiful.

"I can't do that until I thank you properly," she said. She wanted him to speak again, just to hear his voice again. But he remained silent. I'll just have to get it out of you; she thought as she grabbed his hand and dragged him away from the spot he was standing at.

"Come on," she said, not caring less about what he had to think. "I'll show you a place you'll regret not seeing."

He didn't refuse. He just let her take him to where she wanted to take him. This was probably the last time she would ever see him again anyways. And if it came down to the worst, he could just take care of her. There were many minstrels, no one would notice if one was missing.

She brought him up to a cliff that looked over the city. On it sat a giant _sakura_ tree with its blossoms in full bloom. It really was a very beautiful sight, but he had no use for sceneries. He had too much on his mind to care about them. They were only temporary anyways, one day they would be destroyed and no better to look at than whatever was in a toilet bowl.

"I found this place two years ago," she said, enthusiastic. "Isn't it beautiful? I love playing here." She let her hair loose and spun in circles until she was too dizzy to stand. Then she sat on the grass and took out her instrument. She started to play the sweetest melody he had ever heard. Then the breeze started to blow and the tune sounded even more beautiful, as if nature itself was singing with it.

It was so opposite from his world, there was nothing the same. He listened to her even though he felt the need to leave her pure life forever. A stained existence like his didn't belong in her fairytale world.

Soon her song ended and she felt just a little disheartened that she may never see him again. But that turned a whole one-eighty degrees as he asked, "What is your name?" in his melodious voice, this time a little less monotone.

"Shinpi," she answered while pulling a strand of hair out of her face.

"That's not a name fit for a girl like you, nor a name that I will say," he said and walked the distance between them in three easy steps when it had taken her much more than just three. "I'll call you Mayuri," he said as he caught a strand of her hair that had fallen of her shoulders and twisted it around his fingers.

"And what do I call you?" she asked, just to get him to talk more.

"Itachi," he answered and dropped her hair. "Perhaps when we see each other again you can play for me again."

"If that's what you like. I am a minstrel, but it won't come cheap," she said.

He held the edge of his hat and bowed a little and disappeared before her.

Mayuri looked around to see if anyone was watching her and smiled at meeting him.

"Itachi," she said and smiled. "Itachi, Itachi, Itachi," she sang as she walked back down the hill.

Over the next few years they saw each other rarely, only when they were both in _Amekagure. _Trust between them started to grow as she told him her secrets and he listened carefully. He told himself he was not vexed by her, but his partner thought otherwise. He kept her a secret to the others and set her aside for himself.

He waited for her at the tree until nightfall one day. When she came, the stars had already come out and the moon was shining. He had a bad day and was even scolded by his younger brother's friend who thought he was a better brother. But who could judge? He opened his eyes when he felt something cover him.

"It's just me," Mayuri whispered as she tried to cover him with her shawl. "Sorry if I woke you up. Did you wait long?"

"If five hours is long," he said, although it wasn't particularly long for him who laid in wait for his target to come for a whole day once. But it was nice to tease her.

"Sorry, I had an early performance that ended late," she said, feeling embarrassed for making him wait for so long,

"Are you still in any shape to play?" he asked.

"Of course. I can always play the _kokyu_. Besides, I was playing the _koto_ today so it was less tiring," she said as she took the instrument out the case to begin playing.

Suddenly a force flew up from his stomach and into his throat, and he came up coughing badly. He covered his mouth with his hand and tried to hide the blood from her.

"Are you alright?"She asked, her melody breaking.

He wanted to answer her fretful call, but could barely breathe at all.

She knew his health had been failing. He had been pushing his body too hard and she knew he had insomnia. There were serious things he hadn't told her on his mind that was keeping him awake. And there was no doubt something inside of him killing him.

"Here," she said, "Why don't you try to sleep? I'll lend you my lap, for extra pay of course." She set the instrument down and patted her lap with an inviting smile.

He couldn't help but fall into it. He took off his hat and set his head on her lap. It felt strange for him to be lying down like that, but comfortable because he was in her embrace.

"I composed a song, and I couldn't wait to play for you," she whispered to him, and started playing again.

He closed his eyes to listen, and her new melody flowed out of her fingers. The soft melody was amazing the way it broke through his defenses. How easy it was for her to do what countless men have tried to do. All she needed to do was rub a bow of horse tail against three silk strings on an instrument he could break like a toothpick, but it worked.

It was early morning when he woke up in her lap. She herself has rested against the tree and fell asleep. Her blonde hair gleamed in the slight of the rising sun as if they were capturing the sun light. This sight was indeed beautiful, but the day he'd seize to see it was coming close.

Itachi squinted his eyes to see Mayuri's face better. It was scarce for him to see her sleeping and he didn't want to miss the moment since he may never see it again. He activated his _Sharingan_, perhaps with its enhanced power he would be able to see her better. He just marveled at her whole being, her long lashes casting dark shadows on her porcelain white face, her lovely pink lips, and the tumble of her blonde hair. It made him wonder if it was made of real gold.

He closed his eyes when she woke up. The feeling in her legs was completely gone, but they still felt warm where his head rested. She combed his hair out of his face and had a good look at his face. Before he would always keep his hat on and she could only see just a little bit of his face. Now that she had a good look, he was quite beautiful himself. He might have passed for a woman with his long eyelashes.

She stroked his face with her fingers, feeling the texture of his skin when he suddenly caught her hand and opened his eyes. They were strange, not at all like a human's, crimson red with a demonic design for a pupil. She shuddered a little, but looked at them more closely. They were sad, as if he would cry tears of blood. Compassion struck her, and touched the corners of his eyes.

"You are not afraid?" he asked with the voice that still intoxicated her.

"How can I be afraid of you?" she asked. "I love you."

"You would associate yourself with someone like me," he said with an edge in his voice that warned her not to come any closer. He knew he would be a curse to her.

"I already have since the day you saved me from falling into the water."

"Heed my warning. If you do come closer to me if may cost you your life and your happiness," he said, coldly.

"I don't mind. I've been through worse," she said, but it was a lie. Her whole life was him, being with him is happiness.

He stayed silent for a moment and just looked her in the eye. The lavender color of them captured him again. "Then know this, if you choose this path there is no going back."

"I've known a long time ago. There is nothing that can scare me if you are with me."

"But I won't be with you forever."

"When that day comes, I'll be ready. My tough girl act isn't an act you know."

"Then I'll tell you secrets that I've never told anyone before if you choose to marry me," he said more to himself than her in a casual tone.

Mayuri thought for a long time. It didn't matter if she married him or not, she was already past the point of no return. Since the day she first played for him they were captured.

"Marry me?" he asked.

"Yes," she said.

More happy than scared for her future, he tugged her down and planted a kiss on her as the sun rose. They married secretly the next day. With the moon as their witness, he passed to her the moonstone ring and placed it on her finger. He had told her his secrets that day and she listened without remark, fear, or doubt. That's what made her beautiful, her faith and compassion.

Within the next three months he came to her again, one last time. She knew it was time though she wasn't sure if her heart was prepared or not. But she would take it nevertheless.

"Take care of Sasuke," he had said. "Perhaps you can make him understand the love that I have for him more than anyone else can with words."

He left her and she cried for the weeks to come until the leader of _Akatsuki, _a man she has never met, called her over in private. Somehow he had known about their marriage and he handed her his body. After that she traveled to different places until she could not go further, and gave birth to Yukimura in _Konohakagure_, his father's home country.

Tears started to roll off her eyes. She didn't want to cry about him in front of Yuki but the tears wouldn't stop.

"I'm sorry, dear, but I'm not feeling very well right now," she said as she covered her face with her hands.

"I'm sorry, Mother. I'll never ask about father again," Yuki said, scared that he might have caused his mother pain and sadness. "I'm sorry. Forgive me," he said and wrapped his arms around her neck.

"I'm sorry Yuki. I didn't mean to cry," she said and wiped the tears away once again constructing a mental wall to never let them out again. She must stay strong for all of them. And her strength came from the promises that he had told her.

Sasuke leaned next to the wooden closet in the room next to the sliding doors and heard it all. His head bowed, his heart started to cry.


	4. Second Meeting, Part 2

Second meeting, part two

_Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man has a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. ~Colossians 3:13_

Sasuke returned soon after that day. He found out Yukimura was starting his ninja classes at the academy soon. He walked through the metal back door, this time without being attacked by flying nephews.

Mayuri was in the living room cleaning her instruments. A large _koto_ was laid out on the ground as she tuned it after polishing.

"Welcome back, Sasuke-san." She made a habit out of saying that when he came to although it was awkward the first couple of times because he never replied.

Sasuke looked around. "Where's Yuki?" It was strange that Sasuke hasn't been ambushed yet by Yuki.

"Oh, he's at the usual grounds practicing," Mayuri said as she ran a cotton cloth down the strings one by one with a special resin which the room always smelled like. She looked up at him and said, "He's overly excited about school starting. Will you go fetch him for me? I'll start preparing dinner."

She put the _koto_ back into its case carefully upright next to the shelf of smaller instruments and stood up to head to the kitchen. As she passed Sasuke he felt so big next to her. While standing, her head only reached up to his shoulders and his shoulders were nearly twice as wide as hers. It was just a little unbelievable that a girl as tiny as she had captured his brother's heart and got him to marry her.

"Sure," Sasuke said and threw his hood back on. He always went out with his hood and his dark cape. He couldn't risk anyone seeing him.

He walked quickly, although to him it was a leisurely pace that sometimes made him feel anxious inside. To him, there were only two speeds. An incredibly fast pace that made people think the wind was blowing by, or not moving at all. Any other pace else was just wasting time.

Soon he could hear the grunts and punching in intense training. He watched from behind a large tree as Yuki went this way and that, fighting an invisible target in his own choreography of a fight.

He came out of the shadows quietly to see if Yuki would notice him at all.

"Oh, hello Uncle," Yuki greeted him, stopping in mid air. "What are you doing here?" he asked with a large smile as he landed and jogged toward Sasuke. As he came up he wrapped his arms around his uncle's waist giving off a feeling like a puppy greeting its master.

Sasuke couldn't help but think it was cute although he wasn't used to such affection. If you took one look at Yuki, you would think he was Mayuri's daughter with his long lashes as long as feather dusters. His girlish face and his silky hair only added on to that fact.

"Your mother sent me to fetch you," he told Yuki. "She's making dinner."

"Oh, I can't go back home now," Yuki said out of breath and covered in sweat. "I just warmed up."

Sasuke smiled a little at the boy's persistence.

"Uncle, can you fight me?" he asked with a large smile and expectant heart.

"What?"

"Fight me for real, please," he said. "I mean you always train me by just telling me what to do, like hold a fist this way or kick that way, or how to throw a _shuriken_ and a _kunai_. Can't we spar for once? I think I'm ready," he said with confidence.

This boy, Sasuke ranted in his head. "Yuki," he said in a mature voice, his tone already taking on one of letting a kid down easy.

"Please, please, please, please, please," he said with his large puppy eyes, "with a cherry on top."

Sasuke let out a long heavy sigh, which meant he was reluctant in agreeing. But he did anyways and said, "Fine, but if I win you're going back home right away."

"Fine," the boy said and backed a few paces away and got in a stance. He counted one, two, and three and charged forward as fast as he can.

Sasuke gave him a handy cap by not moving from where he stood, not using either of his legs except to stand, and with only his left hand. He didn't even think about activating his _Sharingan_. He evaded the boy's attack without even needing to block and after a five minute toy with him he finally caught the boy's fist and tossed him as gently as possible on the grass besides him.

"I win," he declared, not exceptionally proud about beating his seven year old nephew. But he still declared it just to finish the mission given by Mayuri to bring him home.

"Fine, I'll go home now," Yuki moaned as he crawled off the grass and rubbed his back. He took a few staggering steps and Sasuke caught him and lifted him off his feet and onto his shoulders.

Yuki was surprised by how tall it made him feel than that what his uncle was doing. He was always looking up at his uncle like he was a skyscraper but never thought it would look this high from there.

Sasuke brought Yuki back without much talk between the two as he marveled how high he felt. Sasuke set him down at the door since the two of them wouldn't fit in the house. He himself barely fit under the low ceiling. Yuki opened the door and ran through to tell Mayuri about how cool it was fighting Sasuke.

Mayuri was chopping vegetables when Yuki ran towards her and jumped up to hug her all of a sudden and raised the hand with the kitchen knife up, afraid that it would hurt someone.

"So you fought someone real this time," she said at the table when they were finally eating.

"Yea, it's so much cooler than fighting air," he said matter-of-factly.

"Well, I suppose you'll be doing a lot of sparring now that you're starting ninja tactics at the academy."

Yuki smiled and didn't say anything for the rest of dinner. When Mayuri was washing the dishes, he was still quiet and watched both Mayuri and Sasuke with unblinking eyes. Finally his opportune moment came. Sasuke was sitting at the side of the table he always sat at, opposite the empty spot reserved for Yuki's father reading something Yuki never had a chance to look at and Mayuri returned to her room to sleep earlier since she's had a busy day.

It was the moment Yuki has waited for, but he was nervous to ask, but there was no other time or anyone else to ask his particular question. He eyed Sasuke a few times like he always did when he was nervous.

Sasuke put the little memo book he was reading into the pack behind at his belt. He was never without it, and no one knows what was in it. He asked his little nephew, "What is it?" He knew perfectly well that Yuki was itching to say something.

Yuki faced the table and played with his fingers. "Was my father a bad man?" he asked quietly as if he was guilty for some horrible crime.

"Why do you think that?" Sasuke asked him, surprised.

Yuki bit his lower lip. He didn't want to say anything bad about his father even if he didn't know him. "Because he left mother and made her cry while thinking of him," he said quietly. Mayuri was only in her room, he didn't want her to hear him talking about his father, especially when he called him a bad man. "Was he a bad person?"

"No," Sasuke answered, "no he wasn't. Your father was a wonderful man." Sasuke looked away from the boy. He couldn't face him. Not that man's son. "Your father, my brother was a mystery. The people of this world think that he was a heartless killer who killed his own family and joined an organization after power and control. People would curse his name even if he did them no wrong. But for all the curses in the world, he just wanted to protect and that was all he ever did. Protect those whom he cared for, more than anything else in the world. He insured my safety and made me strong. But at the end I betrayed him."

Sasuke shut his eyes tight. Why was he doing this? Why was he telling Yukimura all this? It would be better for all three of them if he didn't know the truth. He incessantly bit his lip but the words came pouring out. All he could do was keep the emotions bottled up, but even they felt like they were going to burst out of him. He felt like an erupting volcano that had been sleeping for far too long.

"He did everything he could to prevent war and unnecessary deaths all at his own sacrifice and our family's. But he could not kill me. Yet… but…" Sasuke gripped the hard cloth of his trousers and his jaw tightened. The truth was pounding at his head. "I killed him, Yuki," he confessed, "I killed your father and I killed his mission, his purpose, his reasons. I'm the one that destroyed him. I'm the reason you are fatherless and the reason your mother cries. It's all my fault."

Sasuke bit his lip until blood ran down the corner and rolled down. Both hands were in fists until his nails dug through his tough skin. Not a muscle in his body moved, everything in him was waiting. As if he was shackled in chains in a tiny cage where you couldn't even raise your head, waiting for retribution and he would gladly accept it. Because it was what he deserved.

Yuki sat with his legs folded under his thighs and his hands on his knees with his head bowed. It seemed like hours as the two just sat even though they were for only a few minutes. Rain started pelting down on the roof. But the rhythmic sound didn't calm anyone's hearts.

Yuki finally lifted his head and looked up at the big dark person he loved. Sasuke hid his face and Yuki could feel how tense he was. He didn't know what to say. He didn't want to see the person he admired looking like this.

Then his warm feeling started to form in his gut. He remembered it clearly. It was quiet, soft, and gentle just like his mother but not quite like her. It was protective and like a teacher. He closed his eyes and saw the feeling. It looked like a blob of light to him with seven different colors and it touched his head gently. Yuki didn't understand what it was or what it was doing but he trusted it.

"Uncle didn't betray us," Yuki said slowly and surely. "And Father didn't die."

Sasuke looked over at Yuki. What kind of nonsense was the boy spouting? But Yuki continued.

"Father is living in me," he said. "He's in my blood, and he's living in Mother's heart. And he's also living in Uncle's heart."

Sasuke lost his grip on control. The restraints he put on himself, the chains he shackled on himself. They all just fell apart. He realized then, they had no foundation. Nothing really ever held him. The little world of his self created prison cell fell away and there was just forgiveness.

The tears came out and they didn't stop. It was as if all the tears he's held in himself since he was seven came out all at once. His eyes felt like they were going to flow out with them.

His head fell low and almost touched the small table. His body melted and all the stress enveloped inside disappeared. His body felt light as if an ocean of water was lifted off of him.

He felt a pair of little hands hug his head and comb through his hair. He cried and he cried and he cried all throughout the night until there were no more tears to cry. Yuki had fallen asleep on his head and Sasuke soon fell asleep himself.

Mayuri stood with her back facing the thin paper of her sliding door. She didn't need to see to know what was happening. She closed her eyes and a smile covered her genteel face and she said in barely a whisper, "This is what you want right, Itachi?"

Then next morning Sasuke's eyes were swollen like they were stung by a hundred bees, but he didn't feel tired nor burdened that morning. After the rain a glorious morning followed. He was on his way out the back door again when he asked Yuki, "What made you say those things last night?"

Yuki acted like nothing has changed at all. Everything was normal and prefect to him. He shrugged and answered, "Father told me."


	5. Third Meeting, Part 1

Third meeting, part one

_With great power comes great responsibility. ~Ben Parker, Spiderman_

Yukimura laid flat on the ground. The earth covered him with many layers of dirt but he didn't dare to breathe. He opened his ears and listened to every little sound he could hear. The animals were all hiding in their dens, waiting for the fight to be over. Then he heard a step above the ground.

By experience, he knew it was done on purpose but if he didn't risk it there would be no chance of him winning at all. He concentrated his chakra on his legs and forced the dirt to make a path for him. He leaped out of the ground and attempted a blow, but as usual he missed and hit the ground.

A cloud of dust blew up from his impact with the ground. He got right up and went with hand-to-hand combat.

Sasuke easily evaded every attack. He could probably do it with his eyes closed but since the boy was trying so hard, he decided to save Yuki some face. He caught a blow aimed at his gut with his right hand, grabbed Yuki with his left and tossed him over his head and right at a tree.

Yuki couldn't help but shriek just a little as he was catapulted through the air. But then he turned his body at the last minute, landing vertically against a thick branch. He bounced off with twice as much force and speed, going to for another punch. He wasn't allowed to practice Ninjutsu yet, so he concentrated on his _Taijutsu_.

After another five minutes of constant moving around with all his might, Yuki backed away from Sasuke and hid behind the bushes of the forest that concealed their fight. It was far from over, but he knew he needed to think of something different than just trying to outrun him. Something clever enough to make a blow at Sasuke… it was impossible. At least for a boy of ten years it was impossible. Wait, he thought. Maybe there was a way.

He ran toward the left. Although not at his fastest, he made his way to the back of Sasuke. He counted to three in his head very slowly and then burst through the bushes, his legs pumped with chakra to keep them moving after pushing them to their human limits. He burst through the grounds like a bullet. But when he was just about a meter away, Sasuke turned around. Just as usual, he caught Yuki's punch and tossed to him to the side. Just then from behind him, Yuki came again, and his fists pounded on Sasuke's shoulder as he turned another one eighty degrees.

The Yuki that was tossed aside exploded into smoke and disappeared as the real one landed safely on the ground. As soon as his feet touched the ground, an incredible feeling of victorious joy overcame him. He had finally landed a blow on Sasuke! Even if it was one hit out of the billions he attempted, he was still bursting with delight. Then his feeling of happiness changed and his eyes burned. But only for a second, and everything he saw was new again.

"Yuki," Sasuke said, exasperated. "I thought I said no using Ninjutsu. Even a shadow clone counts." When he saw his nephew, unmoved, not whooping around like hew as just a second ago, Sasuke worried. "Yuki?" he exclaimed, taking a step at him. He opened his _Sharingan_ and examined him and then smiled.

"Uncle," Yuki said. "What is this? Everything is different!" he declared, filled with awe. His eyes were wide opened and traveled everywhere, exploring the unknown. Things were back and white with strange blue lines coursing though them. The animals had them, and he could see the people at town even though they were miles away. "What is this?" he asked smiling at his Uncle with his eyes wide opened and blood red.

"It's your gift," Sasuke answered. "It's a gift in our family passed down from father to son, from mother to daughter. It's the Uchiha legacy."

"Uchiha?" Yuki repeated. It was a word he has never heard before. But before he could ask any questions Sasuke took him home.

When they got him, Sasuke whispered something into Mayuri's ear. Her reactions were first joy but then it turned into worry very quickly.

At dinner Mayuri had bought a cake even though Sasuke didn't know what they were celebrating about. Those weird figures he saw already disappeared a few hours ago and tried to make them come back a few times but it never worked.

"Why are we celebrating?" Yuki asked. "It's not my birthday. It's not Mother's birthday. Is it's Uncle's?"

"No, it isn't," she said, "but it is coming up. But we're not celebrating birthdays today Yuki. It's something really special and maybe just a little hard for you to understand." She explained al that slowly as she cut up the cake and gave him a slice.

Mayuri glanced at Sasuke. She couldn't explain to Yuki what has happened; only Sasuke could, because they came from the same origin.

"Yuki," Sasuke started as the boy cut up a little piece and ate it, "remember when we were at the field and something happened to you?"

"Yeah," he answered, swallowing. "I saw weird things. Everything was in black and white with these weird lines running through some of them. It was cool."

Mayuri took a piece of cake for herself and slowly ate it, swallowing loudly, nervously, as she listened to Sasuke's explanation. She understood the bloodline, but the power in it she still didn't understand and only saw Itachi's eyes a few times and only once close enough to know what they looked like.

"It's a bloodline," Sasuke said. "Have you heard of it?"

Yuki nodded, slowly, trying to understand. "Sensei taught it to us in class. A bloodline is a special power from a special family right?"

"Exactly."

"What power does the Shirakawa family have?" Yuki asked.

"Not the Shirakawa," Sasuke said. Shirakawa was Mayuri's maiden name and Yuki inherited it, but now it was time he knew his origins. "The Uchiha," he stated, with a respectful tone. "Your father was from the Uchiha family, and so am I. The Uchiha family's bloodline is in the power of your eyes."

Yuki looked confused but had a quick mind and understood it. "I'm actually part of the Uchiha family."

"Yes, and perhaps the last heir to the family," Sasuke said. He himself wasn't planning making another heir after he learned about Yuki's existence. There were a couple of reasons he didn't. One would be that if he did there would be chances of having a civil war in the family which it couldn't afford. And second, he planned on never leaving Mayuri and Yuki's side; he'd protect them in his brother's place. He owed them at least that much.

"Our family's power is called the _Sharingan_ and it is in our eyes," he said as he activated his own _Sharingan_ and showed them to Yuki. "This is what it looks like."

Those eyes were red like blood and Yuki shuddered under its powerful gaze as if he was being sucked into them. The dark pupil was so dark it might as well had been the very bottom of a lake of lava. Sasuke blinked and they vanished.

Yuki took a few deep breathes. Little beads of sweat emerged from underneath his skin. That was power, an ominous power.

"You try," he said which snapped Yuki out of his mini-trauma. "Try using them. Concentrate your chakra at your eyes and feel the power. Embrace it. An Uchiha can activate his _Sharingan_ with an overflow of emotion and energy. Once you obtain it, it's yours."

Yuki gulped. For some reason he felt like he was deep under pressure. He closed his eyes and concentrated it. There was a fire. He felt it burning in his core. "Embrace it," Sasuke's words echoed. "Once you obtain it, it's yours."

_It's yours. It's yours._

He opened his eyes and there they were. The blood red iris and jet black pupils. His left eye had one of the three and his right eye had two of the three pupils.

He could see the chakra flow through his uncle's body. They were powerful rivers. And his mother's were a gentle flowing. He closed his eyes and they went away. He saw in regular color again.

"Well done," Sasuke said. "I will teach you more about the _Sharingan_ and how to use it in the future. But right now you must understand something extremely important." Sasuke didn't want to be overbearing to a ten year old child but he felt the need too. So did Mayuri.

"Yuki dear," his mother said and he passed his gaze to her. "You mustn't let anyone know that you are the heir to the Uchiha clan. Do you understand? Not in Konoha and definitely not outside of Konoha. That is why you took my name, Shirakawa."

"Your father didn't want you to be oppressed by the family's name," Sasuke said. He had guessed that his brother wouldn't have like Mayuri had done and they were probably right. The Uchiha clan didn't have a good name when it almost came to extinction. The older brother killed the family and ran off to join a rebellious organization and the younger brother ran away to learned from an exile and then came back to destroy it.

"Do you understand, Yuki?" Mayuri asked, her gaze boring into his. "To nobody. _Nobody_. Not your best friend, not your teachers, nobody. No one can know who you really are, especially now that the _Sharingan_ has awakened in you. Promise me that you will tell no one and that you'll never activate the _Sharingan_ in public." Mayuri held out her hand with her pinky up.

"I promised," Yuki pledged, linking his pinky finger with Mayuri's. "I understand."

"That's a good child," his mother complimented him, giving him a hug of relief. She wouldn't let anyone ruin her child because of this. But he will not be denied his heritage, either.

School started soon again after summer. Yuki had practiced with Sasuke with his new found ability many times and mostly for all hours of the day. He was allowed to use Ninjutsu when he fought, and his quick head learned techniques quickly. Just like his father.

"He growing to be more and more like his father," Sasuke informed Mayuri.

"You think?" Mayuri asked as she folded the laundry. They were watching Yuki cram his summer homework on the last night.

"He looks just like his father and is just as talented as him. My brother got the _Sharingan_ at his age too," he said. "He was considered a prodigy."

"Well, he does look like his father," Mayuri said, sighing at the remembrance of a good memory. "But he's not gotten an ounce of his genes from me," she pouted.

"I beg to differ," Sasuke said as he looked down at the small woman by his side. "He's got more of your personality than his father's. My brother was always quiet and strict with himself and his training. And he never tried to do all his summer homework the night before school starts again."

"Well, that does seem less like him," Mayuri laughed, agreeing. "But are you calling me lazy?"

Sasuke chuckled. It had become something he had been doing more and more around here. "Of course not," he said. "I'm just saying he's not as uptight as Brother."

"You _are_ calling me lazy," Mayuri said irately as she threw down the last shirt and picked up the pile and tossed it on top of Sasuke. "Those are yours," she said and took her and Yuki's clothes and walked to her room. "Yuki, are you almost finished?"

"Yeah, almost," he called, his face glued to his work.

"Okay. But you've got to get to bed. And come here to put your clothes away."

"Alright. Last problem," he said, finishing it quickly. He closed the book and stuck it in his backpack, going to his room. "Good night, Uncle," he said as he closed his door.

"Good night," Sasuke replied automatically. He took his tiny amount of clothes to the little room Mayuri set up as his. He leaned against the far corner after putting his clothes away. He was still not used to laying down on a mattress to sleep but Mayuri still laid it out for him.

"Yuki! Yukimura! Wake up!" Mayuri called from the kitchen while making his breakfast, "You'll be late!" Yuki didn't reply. Mayuri sighed and turned down the fire and grabbed a wok with a wooden spoon and marched over to her son's room. She slid the door opened with her foot and banged the wok and the spoon together.

She didn't need to worry about Sasuke being annoyed with it since was already gone. He often disappeared in the morning to God knows where when he left, only to come back whever a few days later.

Yuki jumped up from his futon tossing his blanket in the air. "_I'm up_, I'm up, I'm up," he said in one breathe just as he started falling asleep again. He sat down on the floor and his head started to loll off to the side, nodding off.

"Tsk." Mayuri banged the wok again right next to his ears. "Wake up, you lazy boy!" She put the wok and spoon on the ground and attacked him with her infamous tickle attack. "Are you awake yet?" She kept saying as he continued to burst into laughter until both of them were dead tired.

"Okay, are you ready to wake up now or what?" Mayuri asked.

"Okay. I'll go brush my teeth," he said and got up and walked to the bathroom. "I laughed so hard my tummy hurts."

"And you will forever lose to my Tickle Attack," Mayuri said getting up herself.

She scooped up the hash she fried into a plate and set it on the table and poured a glass of milk for Yuki and tea for herself.

Yuki came out of the bathroom and into his room, changing with sloth-like behavior.

"Hurry up or you'll be late," Mayuri threatened. "And we all know what your teacher's punishment is for being late." The sound of rushing feet and hands was heard as they rummaged through his drawers for something to change into. Mayuri smiled at herself. Punishment was probably the best enforcer of discipline. Or at least to a mother it was.

Yuki rushed to the table in a shirt with some wrinkles and literally just dumped the hash down his throat and swallowed with a swig of milk.

"You eat like a wolf and dress like a homeless kid," Mayuri complained as she went to his room to get him a nicer shirt. "Put this on," she commanded. "And when you come home you better clean that room of yours up or you'll lose it."

"Alright, alright, alright," he whined. "I got it!" He took off his top and put the new one on. He grabbed his backpack and made a run for the door. "See ya."

"Be careful!" she yelled as the door slammed shut. She was going to get an alarm clock for Yuki today. She cleaned up the kitchen and left some food for Sasuke out, readied her _kokyu_ and left for her work.

Yuki ran through the empty halls of the academy. The bell rang about a minute ago and he calculated in his head. His homeroom was on the fourth floor, the teacher got there from the staff room in about a minute. He could do it. He made sure his backpack was strapped on tightly and boosted his legs with chakra and almost flew to the fourth floor.

"I'm here!" He yelled as he slid open the door. "I'm not late!"

"Try again," his teacher roared back at him.

"Aw man," he moaned. "Why is Sensei so fast?"

"I'm not fast. I'm just on time. Now get to your seat. You'll be throwing _shurikens _today until your arms fall off and then you'll be running laps until your legs fall off. Late on the first day of school," his teacher grumbled.

After school Yuki was there throwing _shurikens_ and_ kunai_, although no one could say he didn't enjoy it. He didn't mind running laps either. It was just going to make him more accurate and faster in the long run. He had to be the best of the best when it came to Ninjutsu. It was in his blood.

He was the last one there and his time was already over but he continued. Sasuke wasn't home so he might as well train at the academy grounds. He concentrated on the center. He had to hit it. If it didn't hit dead center he would do ten push ups. If he hit outside the red bulls eye he would run a mile. That was his training method and it never changed.

Haruno Sakura walked through the halls of the school. She had documents to deliver and things to get for the Hokage. She looked out the window and reminisced about the times she was a student there and the few times she was a teacher there. Now as the head of the Medical department, she didn't have the leisure to hang out with little Ninja kids.

She saw Yuki out at the field practicing when she delivered the documents to the office on the top floor. A head of black hair was all that she could see at first from the tenth floor but when he dropped down on the ground all sweaty and tired, Sakura's breath got stuck in her throat.

"Sasuke?" she muttered.

"What?" the lady filing her documents asked.

"Oh, nothing. Um, may I ask who that child it?" she asked as she pointed to the boy.

The teacher walked over to the window and looked down. "That's Shirakawa Yukimura," she answered. "He's a talented kid. He's probably going to be one of the greatest of Konoha one day."

"Shirakawa," Sakura whispered again. "Who's his father?" she had to make sure. He could have taken his mother's name to hide his heritage. No way could he be anyone else than one from the Uchiha family.

"We don't know who his father is. The word is he died before Yuki-kun was born. He lives with his mother," she said as she walked back and finished the documents. "Here you are Haruno-sensei and congratulations on your marriage."

"Thank you."

"It must be lucky that you married on the same day he was promoted to Hokage."

"No. It was the total opposite. Our wedding was completely unimportant standing next to the promotion. I would like to have it again, but we're going to be way to busy for that."

"Well, I'll pray for the best of your marriage. Just don't get divorced too quickly.

"Don't worry. He's smitten. He may be dominant in the village but not in the house. He's still an idiot."

"Well, just don't be too harsh on him. Men can be sensitive too."

"Thank you. I'll keep that in mind," she said. "I'll be going now." She took her documents and left the building. Yuki was already gone running his laps when she came to the ground floor.

Sakura watched the empty field. Sasuke used to practice there endlessly before. Could he really be his son? She wanted to believe but doubted. If he was then that would be mean Sasuke was dead. She couldn't accept that, probably never until she saw him herself. She kept this to herself and she never told anyone.


	6. Third Meeting, Part 2

Third meeting, second part

_The death [loss] of a friend is equivalent to the loss of a limb. ~German Proverb_

_To love and to be loved is the greatest happiness of existence. ~Anonymous_

"Uncle, Uncle, Uncle," Yuki pestered.

"Don't talk so loudly at dinnertime," Mayuri said quietly as she scooped up some rice into her mouth.

"Can you teach me how to use that fire ball _jutsu_ you used today?" he continued without heeding his mother's warning.

"You mean the_ Katon Goukaku no Jutsu_?" Sasuke said softly, listening to Mayuri. He made a habit of listening to Mayuri's every beck and call. He made it his personal duty to protect them for all time.

"Yeah. It's the winter, I was thinking that maybe I could use that _jutsu_ around the house when you're not home. Our heater is broken and the only thing we have left is the fireplace."

"We have matches and wood. We can light up the fireplace without the use of _chakra_," Mayuri said, peeling an orange and setting them up neatly in a circle on a plate, setting it at the center of the table.

"Thank you," Sasuke said, taking a piece with one swift movement and ate it. After he swallowed it, he stood up.

Once again his head almost touched the ceiling, making the house seem suddenly smaller. He grabbed his hooded cape from the coat tree and pulled it tightly across his broad shoulders.

"You're leaving?" Mayuri asked inquisitively, "This late at night?" He never left at night, even when they were sleeping. He'd always leave at dawn. Mayuri was sure of this because she'd hear the metal back door open and close in early mornings when the air was still cold.

"I'll return before too late tomorrow," Sasuke assured her. He was just going to check up on a small job. There was word that someone had seen him around Konoha. It might be a false lead, but he couldn't risk being found out. What would the leaders do if they knew Mayuri and Yuki were associated with him? They'd be arrested for assisting a criminal. No, he could not let that happen.

"Alright then," Mayuri said, relieved. For the past five years she had seen an amazing change in him. He used to be stoic and just around the house like it was his obligation. He rarely spoke at all only, speaking only when it was necessary, or when he was leaving. He came at the dark of night and left before the rays of dawn. It was like that until Yuki turned seven.

Truly saying, it was Yuki that broke him. The child's unreserved acceptance of his existence gave Sasuke a reason to be around. Mayuri was fine that his only reason for staying was out of obligation at that time, but she started relying on his support unconsciously.

Yuki ran to Sasuke and stood in front of him with admiration in his eyes. His childish hug was replaced by the look of respect in his eyes for Sasuke.

"Will you teach me after you return?" he asked with hope gleaming in his eyes. "I'll practice really, really hard. I promise!"

Sasuke put his large hand on Yuki's head. "Then I'll promise to teach you," he swore, boosting up Yuki's adrenaline. The boy loved to learn new ninja tactics from Sasuke.

Sasuke left swiftly in the dark, but Yuki could see him with his heightened genes. As Sasuke left, Yuki activated his _Sharingan_ to practice using it. A tiny speck of blue traveled farther and farther away from the house. Soon it didn't look like a human at all, more like a bird in flight.

Yuki reverted his eyes back to normal and returned into the house after making sure there was no one that saw. His mind worked quick for a ten year old boy. He understood many things that even adults had a hard time understanding. It was another talent his father had given him. He understood how heavy the secret of his inheritance and his uncle was. It could cost their lives and he would do anything in his ten year old ability to protect them.

The next morning was a holiday and Yuki woke up to make his mother some breakfast. Her birthday was coming up in a week, along with Christmas. Yuki wanted to surprise her, but definitely not on her actual birthday or it wouldn't be a surprise at all.

He cracked the eggs skillfully into a pan and waited for it to simmer nice and easy while he pulled out oranges from the fridge and made a nice glass of OJ and set it on her side of the table. The toaster oven popped up the satisfactorily toasted piece of bread. He slathered on butter and set them nicely on a plate with the eggs on the side. And then as a special treat, he dug out of her favorite scented candles and lit them with his finger.

Satisfied with what he had made, he went to his mother's room and stealthily slid open her door. He crept in on his tippy toes although he really didn't need the exaggeration. He always moved around silently and swiftly.

He went around to where her head laid on her pillow and tapped her shoulder gently three times and whispered in her ear, "Mother, wake up."

Mayuri stirred a little flipped onto her backside. She squinted as Yuki opened the curtains in her room. Snow had covered the ground from last night and it looked like a winter wonderland outside, except no one was awake yet, except Yuki.

"What time is it?" she moaned, rubbing her eyes and stretching.

"About five in the morning," he said cheerfully.

Mayuri rolled over on her side again and pulled her wool blanket closer to her. For someone that had their birthday in the winter, she really couldn't tolerate the cold. "Aren't you supposed to be training right now?" she inquired as politely as she could, just wanting to go back to sleep.

Yuki kneeled on the floor next to her. "Yea, but today I have a special surprise for you," he whispered gleefully, giggling trying to keep in his excitement. "Come on, wake up!" He complained as he shook her back and forth.

"Alright," Mayuri said, giving up. There was no use now. She was awake. "I'll get up," She yawned and sat up from her futon and the very inviting pillow.

Yuki grabbed her hands and dragged her on her feet, "Come on, wash your face first!" he cried pulling her down the tiny hall and into the bathroom.

After she washed her face and brushed her teeth Mayuri was wide awake as she smelled the candle and the breakfast. She opened the bathroom door and asked Yuki, "What is that wonderful smell?" and glanced around.

Yuki was already standing at the dinner table and shouted, "Surprise!"

A smiled lit Mayuri's face. "What is all this?" she asked.

"It's for your birthday," Yuki said, genuine pride marking his visage.

"But my birthday isn't until next week," she said as she sat down at her seat and just marveled at her son's creation for her.

"Yea, but then it wouldn't be a surprise," Yukie said. "And you always remember my birthday and surprise me with something. I wanted to do the same for you."

Mayuri laughed. Remember his birthday. How can she forget the day her little fireball of love was born? She was moved to tears, but she blinked them away knowing that Yuki was sensitive to her tears.

"Go on! Take a bite out of Chef Yukimura's greatest creation of all time," he said with a low manly voice.

"Alright," she said, and trying to regain her composure by picking up her fork. It looked so lovely she didn't want to eat it, but the aroma of it was more delightful that her candle's. She quickly bit into the eggs and they just tasted fantastic. The breakfast was most likely not as good as a five-star restaurant's but it tasted like heaven to her. She ate it quickly and merrily.

Mayuri set the fork down on the plate and Yuki took it away to the sink and washed it.

"That was delicious!" Mayuri cried, stressing the adjective. "A breakfast made by your child is the BEST in the world. Nothing beats it, I tell you."

"Thank you for your wonderful comments," Yuki said in his faux man voice, taking a sweeping bow. "Now for the payment," he said.

"What?" Mayuri asked, appalled.

"All that I ask," Yuki said, "is that you continue to be a good mother to me, and never abandon me."

"Aw," Mayuri exclaimed and hugged his head tightly. "I love you!"

Suddenly the whole house started to shake like it was the end of the world. The plate that Yuki washed and set on the counter to dry bounced off and crashed on to the floor followed by other tableware.

"What is going on?" Yuki asked trying to keep a cool, but it was his first time experiencing an earthquake this bad.

"Let's get out of the house," Mayuri said and they made for the back door which was the closest exit that was safe.

Outside they backed away from the house swiftly, they stood there, immobile, waiting for the rumbling to stop. It took almost a whole minute for the earth to calm down. Houses were creaking and birds flew into the air.

The other families of the condo out of their houses were also just as confused as everyone else. After it seemed like it was safe to enter their homes again, Yuki ran through the door. There were treasures in here that he had promised to protect.

"Wait, Yuki," his mother called after him and followed.

Yuki went through the hall that led to the kitchen. Everything so far was intact. He immediately looked for the shelf of instruments on the shelf in the living room. They boxes were scattered everywhere and some were busted open. He crawled over and examined each instrument.

The large _koto_ was still in its box safe and so was Mayuri's favorite_ kokyu_. He put it back into its box and put it aside with the _koto_. Overall, the instruments are safe. Some suffered some minor injuries but they were fixable.

"What are you doing?" Mayuri asked as she came through the door and down the hall.

"I was making sure your instruments are okay," he said cheerfully knowing that they were all safe and secure.

Mayuri sighed out of relief and was just a little touched that he would care for her treasures. But then she looked at the kitchen and frowned. "And you failed to notice this?" she asked and pointed at the table.

There was glass everywhere and dried foods spilled all over the ground. But most of all was the large cabinet that floored the kitchen table and crushed it.

"Well," Yuki said, "I was really worried about the instruments. I mean you can get a table anywhere, but these," he looked over at the boxes, "these are yours. They are priceless."

"I understand," Mayuri said and walked over to him and hugged his head while combing her fingers through his long sleek hair. "We'll get another table later okay? But first we need to clean this up."

Yuki and Mayuri opened all the windows of the house to let in the air since the power had gone out. Yuki fired up the fireplace with the same trick he used with the candle as Mayuri swept up the pieces of glass. They put the cabinet back to its place and restored the dried ingredients to their places. They moved the broken table outside for the garbage man to take it away.

Sasuke came back as quickly as he could; he was that worried about Mayuri and Yuki. He burst through the door with snow on his shoulders and hood since it started snowing again.

"Are you guys alright?" he asked, slightly urgent. "I tried to get back as soon as possible."

"We're fine," Mayuri said, smiling a little to reassure him. She hid her true smile of joy knowing that he was worried. He was slowly showing some fondness to this family.

"Only the table broke," Yuki said. "We're going to get another one tomorrow." He added the last part with some newfound swagger, a new sense of confidentiality.

Sasuke took off his cape and handed it to Mayuri so she could put it in the dryer. He sat at where he usually sat when the table was unbroken. "It was really bad near the Taki border. Houses came down and a whole town needs rebuilding."

"Well, I'm just glad that none of us were hurt and this house is still standing," Mayuri said, coming back to the kitchen, "Although it is a pity that the table was destroyed." She brewed some tea to calm and warm everyone up.

The next morning Sasuke came up to Mayuri and Yuki as they were about to go out for table-hunting. They were dressed warmly with hand knit sweaters and gloves for the cold weather. Mayuri was afraid of the cold and Yuki was weak against colds. They wrapped thick scarves around their necks.

Sasuke came up with his regular ninja clothes and pulled on his black cape. "I'll come with you," he decided. He felt somewhat responsible to them even though he didn't voice it out, knowing that Mayuri would object that it wasn't his fault. But he still felt guilty for not being there when they were in danger.

"But what if someone sees you?" Mayuri asked, concerned that someone would see and take Sasuke away.

"I'll put on the hood. I assure you, no one will notice," he promised while putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Well, then. I guess we do need someone to carry the table for us. We need a few new plates too," Mayuri thought aloud as she opened the door slowly. She was anxious.

Sasuke stepped out casually as if he had always stepped out the front door and into Konoha like a regular citizen. While they walked to the market Mayuri stood in front of Sasuke all the time, futilely trying to hide the large man behind her tiny back. Yuki also stayed close to Sasuke.

He didn't really stand out that much. There were many traveling ninjas in the city with tall dark hoods and capes and they looked much more menacing than Sasuke did, walking in his even steps.

The village was nostalgic. He remembered the streets well. He would go walk up and down the streets minding his own business while ignoring the mob of girls following him, and the old bridge as well, used to meet up for mission rendezvous. Even the old ramen stand remained, still there with customers as always, and as always the monument of the Hokages carved on the face of the mountain. The last face was still under construction, but he could tell exactly whose face they were carving. Only one person in this world had blond wild spiky hair.

They walked through the open flea market looking for a nice sized table that wasn't too expensive. After an hour they found a good bargain and bought a foldable table. Sasuke carried in the form of a box that the merchant put together for them. It would probably never be a box again with its complicated maneuvers, but it was good and cheap.

They went on looking for plates. Mayuri was a sucker for china and spent even longer on plates. They walked even more downtown to where medical ninjas and doctors were examining patients that were hurt in the earthquake.

Then two of the best medical ninjas in the field, Haruno Sakura and her friend Ino, walked from the City Hall. They were taking their usual checkups down the streets. They were greeted with enthusiasm by the elderly and mothers whose children's lives they saved from an epidemic that was around two years ago.

Sakura looked up from the streets and her eye caught a tall dark form about fifty meters away. She didn't see his face but she just had this feeling it was him, it was Sasuke. She looked around at the people standing next to him, a beautiful blonde with purple eyes like lilies. She couldn't help but notice how small and perfectly she would fit in the crook of Sasuke's arm. The way she smiled at him and at the young boy she saw at the academy's training field.

Sakura's mouth fell opened. Sasuke plus the blonde plus the boy that looked exactly like him. Could it be? She started walking towards them when he peeked up from his hood and glared at her with his cold black eyes. She was in no doubt at that point that the man was Sasuke, there was just no mistake. Just the way he glared at her, she remembered from so long ago when he first rejected her without even knowing her intentions.

But then an oxen pulled wagon passed in between them, stopping her from advancing toward them. When it passed her he was gone and the mother and child were left. Her head was facing the opposite direction from where she was going. Where did he go? She thought, but he was already out of sight.

Mayuri and Yuki returned home finding Sasuke sitting at the new table all un-folded and set up where the old one had sat. The blue seat cushions were in their usual places and nothing looked out of place.

"Welcome back," Sasuke said with a smile which wasn't as unusual as it was before.

"We're home," Yuki said in reply and set the newly bought plates on the new table. "Look at the plates we bought," he said excitedly as he took them out of the cardboard box.

They were ivory white with intricate paintings of flowers with a thin tipped brush. Even an amateur could see the craftsman work in them.

Mayuri followed with a tea cup set with a different style. Still counted as china, the tea cups were a traditional Japanese tea cup set with the simple painting of a single bamboo stalk on each with a forest green background.

"At the market I met an old friend and he gave us a discount on them," Mayuri explained.

"That was generous of him," Sasuke said, a little slowly.

"Uncle," Yuki asked curiously as his mother put the china in the cupboards above the sink, "why did you go home early?"

"I just wanted to bring the table back earlier. It was getting heavy," he clarified. Even Yuki could tell it was a lie, but he decided to leave it as was. He understood that there were some things that Sasuke couldn't share with him.

At night they ate with the new china. Yuki went to sleep happily and quite early since Sasuke said he would train him for the whole day if he got extra rest. It was not strange in the household to see a kid want to sleep early at all. Plus, Mayuri and Sasuke needed to talk.

"Here you go," Mayuri said as she handed Sasuke a cup of ginger soup to warm him up. "I didn't think tea would be a good idea for your insomnia. I doubt the caffeine would have any affect on you."

"Thank you," Sasuke replied, more out of habit than genuine thanks. He sipped the hot liquid. "But you do know I don't have insomnia anymore right?"

"Well, I wouldn't want to do anything to provoke it and make it come back," she joked, sitting down next to him near the hearth with a dying fire. She wrapped her thick wool blanket around her little body and looked like a ball of fur with a golden pom-pom on top.

Sasuke waved a hand over the fire and it animated it up a bit.

"Knowing how to use_ chakra_ is really convenient isn't it?" Mayuri said lightly.

"Well, for daily household tasks, sure," Sasuke replied easily. "But for fighting, it can be a pain."

"I'm sure you can withstand anything," Mayuri said as she sipped her soup. "So… did you know that girl?" she asked awkwardly. She had never been one to pry, especially with Sasuke. But this was just Sasuke, and he had already told her it was fine for her to. But still, she seldom did it.

"Yeah," he answered her without hesitation. He made a promise and he would tell her anything she asked of him. "She was one of my team members when I was still a ninja in Konoha. Her name is Haruno Sakura and I remembered she had a crush on me."

"Well, that's no wonder," Mayuri said with a smirk. "You are pretty handsome."

"Are you falling for me?" Sasuke jested.

Mayuri nudged him at the waist with her elbow. "I still think Itachi is the most handsome in the world. No one beats him when it comes to that."

"You're still in love with him?" he asked quietly.

"Of course," answered Mayuri. "How can I not be when I'm reminded of him everyday when I see Yuki's face? Have you ever been in love?"

"Me?" Sasuke inquired. "Nah. Never."

"It's a pity," Mayuri said. "Haruno Sakura-san is pretty," she said. "I heard she married the new Hokage. Uzumaki Naruto was it? Did you know him?"

Sasuke lowered his head just one centimeter and smiled remembering all the times Naruto had pissed him off. "Yeah. He was also in my team. We were Team 7. He said that he thought of me like a brother, but I wouldn't know. I just realized too late that I had done everything wrong. I didn't just betray Itachi, I also betrayed Konoha and Naruto and Sakura. If I didn't have these ninja abilities I'd be a failure."

"That's not true," Mayuri said, drinking from her cup. The hot spiciness of the ginger made her body melt. "I'm sure they love you just as much as we do. You know bonds of brotherhood and a first-love don't break so easily."

"What about you?" Sasuke asked, peeking up at her from the corner of his eye. "What did you think about me when you heard Itachi died?"

Mayuri thought for a long time. She wanted to answer his question honestly because it could mean their relationship. She dug deep for those emotions she'd forgotten a long time ago. "When I first heard that Itachi was killed I was obviously filled with sadness and hatred. It felt like I had lost my heart because he was holding on to it. I honestly wanted to kill you and Uchiha Madara if I could. But then I found out I was pregnant with Yuki."

Under the blanket, Mayuri rubbed her belly. "Then I realized I didn't want him to become like what I had hated. To be filled with hatred and never-ending misery, I didn't want that for my child. I wanted to give my child a chance of happiness.

"I suppose motherhood overcame me, to want the best for my child, to wish him good health, to get mad at him for bad grades. I wanted that for Yuki because I've never had it. I was an orphan picked up by a caravan and had suffered from amnesia," she explained. "So when you showed up before me I didn't hate you. I wanted to accept you like Itachi would have." Mayuri smiled her sweet smile and narrowed her eyes. "Thank you for that chance, Sasuke-san."

Sasuke turned his head back down and smiled. For some reason he felt so relieved. She didn't hate him. They accepted him wholeheartedly. That was probably his happiest moment in life.


	7. Third Meeting, Part 3

Third meeting, part three

_Forgiveness is of high value, yet is costs nothing~ Anonymous_

Mayuri rushed down the hall of the hospital still in her work uniform. She was the entertainment for the restaurant in a five star hotel in Konoha. She wore a full length kimono and it forced her to rush down the halls gracefully with tiny steps. She was lucky that she was able to leave her head dress behind or she would have ran through the village with a giant gold headband with flowery accessories and the whole she-bang on her head wobbling around.

Her _zara_ slippers click and clacked on the cold stone floor right up to the receptionists' desk. Even at a full stop her outfit was uncomfortable. The _obi_ was too tight around her waist but it was the policy to have it that tight, or actually, for her waist to be that small.

Her mass of blonde hair whipped around her shoulders and she panted to get some air into her lungs. The receptionist handed her a tissue to dab away the drops of sweat. It wasn't the heat that got to her, but the outfit. Because of the cold weather she wrapped a scarf around also.

"I'm sorry," Mayuri said, still out of breath.

"It's okay. Just take it easy," the receptionist lady replied standing up to give Mayuri and hand. "That is one amazing outfit."

"Yeah, it's for work." Mayuri spent another minute to calm down and said, "I'm here for my son, Shirakawa Yukimura."

The receptionist looked at her wide eyed. "Your son? How old are you?"

"I'm turning thirty the day after tomorrow," Mayuri answered casually.

"T-thirty? You're thirty?" the receptionist muttered loudly. "I thought you were in your teens."

"Oh," Mayuri laughed and covered her mouth with her slim fingers. "Yuki's most definitely my son. But I'm really in a hurry," she said. "I got a call at work that he was injured during an evacuation drill."

"Oh yes. He's in Room 306. You just need to go up one floor and turn to your left," the receptionist said and pointed to the direction of the stairs with her pen. "I also need you to sign here," she said and handed to Mayuri a piece of paper on a clipboard and then pen she was holding.

Mayuri wrote down all the information on the sheet quickly in her calligraphic handwriting and handed it back to the receptionist. The ring on her finger glittered.

"Thank you," the receptionist said. "Wait, I'm just curious," she said as Mayuri headed for the stairs. "How old were you when you married?"

"I was twenty," Mayuri said. "Thank you for all your help," and she ran toward the stairs in the same hurry she came in with.

The receptionist slumped down on her seat and sighed out loudly. "I should get a boyfriend soon," she muttered quietly to herself.

Mayuri located Room 306 and saw the nameplate for Yuki in front of the door and knocked on it twice and entered.

"Yuki?" she almost cried when she saw him on the hospital bed with a cast on his left ankle. She came over to the bed, out of breath. "Are you alright, honey?"

"Yeah," he said with a smile to reassure his mother everything was perfectly fine now. "I just got hurt a little. I'm not going to die."

Mayuri hugged Yuki at his neck and planted a kiss on his cheek. Yuki never minded that she showed affection to him in public. A little bead of a tear emerged on the corner of her eye and she dried it up with the end of her scarf. _This is nothing to cry over_, she told herself. But another formed and she dried that one up as well.

Then the doctor came in. She wore a long white coat with many pens in the pocket and had glasses with her hair tied back. The only exception was that she was wearing her ninja uniform underneath it, just in cast she was called on short notice to save a life somewhere outside the village.

"Ah, Haruno-sensei," Yuki greeted as she entered, "I would like for you to meet my mother. Mother this is the doctor that helped me."

_Haruno_, Mayuri thought, _she's Sasuke-san's friend. She's even prettier up close._

"Nice to meet you," Mayuri said offering a hand. "Thank you for helping my son."

Sakura took her hand out of politeness and shook it. "You're welcome. I'm Haruno Sakura. It's a pleasure." Sakura felt awkward. She still thought that Mayuri was Sasuke's lover and Yuki was their son. "Yuki-kun's injury is quite minor, but it'll take a few days to fully heal," she explained, putting on her doctor face where nothing was biased. "I don't recommend that he does any aggressive training for the next week."

"I understand," Mayuri said. "Thank you so much," she said and bowed a full ninety degrees bow.

There were tears in Mayuri's eyes even though they didn't spill out of her lids. The sweat on her brow was still there as it crept down her beautiful face. Her flaxen hair was heavy and wet from the snow outside. Her skin was pale from the cold and she was still wearing that uncomfortable outfit just to see that her son was okay.

"It's fine," Sakura said awkwardly. "Yuki-kun should be able to go home before tomorrow. We want to make sure his ankle is set in place before sending him home. If you need me you can find me just down the hall. My office is there."

"Thank you," Mayuri said and bowed again.

Sakura tipped her head to bow and then turned her heel and marched out of there. She walked swiftly down the hall passing all the busy nurses without a glance. When she was in her office she closed the door and took three long deep breaths.

Her mind was a jumble. From the day she saw Yuki at the academy to the day she saw who she supposed was Sasuke on the streets of Konoha with that woman, Shirakawa Mayuri, she called herself. Could he be here for another raid? Was she his accomplice? What about the boy?

She covered her face with her hands like she always did when she was stressed. She's married, she reminded to herself. She was married to her childhood friend whom she fell in love with. She was the top medical ninja of the village and her husband was the new Hokage. They should have cut all ties with a rogue ninja like Sasuke. But a first love wasn't always easy to forget.

At the end of the day Mayuri brought Yuki back home while he used a crutch for the first time. His armpits hurt like crazy when they were home, but he didn't want to seem weak in front of Sasuke so he kept it quiet.

Sakura paced around her office at the City Hall. She debated whether she should go visit them at their house. She just felt so desperate to know the truth. Whether or not Mayuri and Yuki are related to Sasuke was none of her business. She had no right to pry through their personal matters.

But then, she deliberated again, if Sasuke, a rogue ninja, was in the village, then that gave her all the right to investigate.

She made up her mind, grabbed her coat and went out the door. She made herself leave her house before she could change her mind. When she opened the door the cold hit her like a hard slap, throwing her hair everywhere. She zipped up her coat's windbreaker and stuffed her hands into her pockets after pulling on a pair of gloves.

It was Christmas day and the streets were clear with everyone in their own homes celebrating before they had work and school. She just a bit dismayed that she wasn't able to celebrate it the way she'd always wanted to with her husband. He was busy, she was busy. There was just no time for the two of them. When she was free, he was busy. When he was free, she was busy. So much for their hard-earned high-ranking ninja titles. But since it was their dreams, they couldn't complain.

Sakura stood in front of the little condo's door. She knocked on it twice and made herself stay there until the door opened. There was some shuffling around inside the house before Mayuri came and opened the door.

"Haruno-sensei," she exclaimed, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

Sakura peeked over Mayuri's shoulder. It wasn't hard since she was barely up to her chin. The house was set up like a regular Christmas day with a tree full of lights and ornaments and a cake on the side that read "Happy Birthday and Merry Christmas." There were candles lit and the furnace fire that lit up the room.

"Um, I was just passing by and thought that I might, uh, have a home checkup," she improvised. "May I come in?"

"Sure," Mayuri said easily, moving aside to let her in. "Make yourself at home. We were just celebrating."

Sakura walked in and then she didn't feel so awkward anymore. The little house was just so quaint and cozy that she couldn't help but feel at home. There was a beautiful handmade wreath on the door, with velvet red and green colored curtains hung up on the walls. The only lighting was candle fire and the fireplace. It was like the room every girl has dreamed of having, except this one was much smaller.

"Here," Mayuri said, handing Sakura a mug of hot chocolate. "It cold outside isn't it? That should warm you up."

"Thank you," Sakura said, taking i. "Where's Yuki-kun?"

"Oh, he's in his room. He said he wanted to show me something and specifically not to go into his room," Mayuri explained. "Yuki, are you coming out any time soon?"

"In just one more minute," he called out from his room.

"Well, hurry," she said. "We have a guest."

"A guest?" Yuki head popped out from behind the corner. "Who?"

"Haruno Sakura-sensei," Mayuri told him, pointing to Sakura.

"Aw, this is going to be embarrassing now," Yuki moaned as he shrunk back into the corner.

"Oh, just come out already or I'll go back there and get you," Mayuri warned.

"Alright," Yuki complained. "I'm coming, but don't laugh."

"We promise we won't laugh," Mayuri chuckled, already laughing, She gave Sakura a wink.

Yuki walked out from the corned with his head drooped down. He was wearing a fuzzy reindeer costume with antlers and a red nose with a ring of bells around his neck.

"Here's goes nothing," he murmured to himself. He raised his hooves in the air and started singing a combination of Jingle Bells and Happy Birthday.

"And Merry Christmas to you," he sang at the end with the "Happy Birthday" tune. After a long held note he bowed and hopped right back behind the corner.

Mayuri and Sakura clapped their hands while trying not to laugh. It was hard, but it was a promise too. They still held it in when Yuki came back out with a regular outfit on. He saw them mashing their lips together and covering it with their hands.

"Oh, just go ahead and laugh," he said and waved his hand as he walked by.

"Sorry, but thank you," Mayuri said quickly as the two of them burst into laughter. They laughed until their backs were aching and there couldn't be anything redder than their faces. "Oh no!" Mayuri exclaimed all of a sudden.

"What?" Yuki asked his eyes were wide open, alert for every disturbance in the room that might be a threat. It was a habit that he had started to develop. Whenever he thought something was wrong, he went to his defense. That was a part of the reason why he had been injured that day.

During the evacuation drill there were a couple of kids goofing off and one almost fell off of cliff they were climbing. He rushed in to save them and twisted in his ankle in the process.

"I forgot the camera," she said sullenly. "Yuki go dress up in the reindeer suit again," she said with the same enthusiasm as she got up to get the camera.

"No! I'm never doing that again!" he rebelled.

"But."

"No buts," he said quickly. The only way he could beat his mother was by being quick with words. "If you don't take pictures now I promise to do another skit on the next holiday," he promised. He already planned on doing another skit but he made a mental note to himself to hide the camera on that day.

Just then the back door opened and the cold wind blew in like a plague. Mayuri gasped in that cold air. Sakura couldn't find out about Sasuke. It might lead to something problematic or worse.

_Yuki, the door,_ Mayuri mouthed to him.

He looked confused. He only knew Sasuke had come, and he was going to the door anyways to greet him.

Mayuri was just going to tell Yuki to stop Sasuke from coming in, but it was already too late. Sakura turned around toward the back of the house just as Sasuke stepped out from behind the corner. His hood was off and he was soaking wet from the snow that has started to fall again.

Sakura and Sasuke just stared at each other for the longest time in the world. Mayuri didn't know what to do. The atmosphere was awkward and heavy. She had this terrible gut feeling growing in her stomach that was reaching up to her throat. She could hear her heart beating like a drum, but it seemed like the only one that was beating at all.

_Shinobis_, she thought, _always so secretive_. They worked so hard to conceal what they were feeling, but it was still perfectly written out on their faces.

Yuki still sat next to the fireplace, confused as ever. No one was moving, no one was saying anything, and the silence was killing his ears.

Sakura moved her hand to her tool pouch and dug around for a weapon to protect herself and if necessary, Mayuri and Yuki too. Sasuke might have been her first crush, but he was still a dangerous rogue ninja. Her whole body felt tense. She had never fought Sasuke before and just the thought of fighting him terrified her.

Finally Sasuke let out one of his long heavy sighs. "Sakura," he said resignedly. "It's been a long time."

"Yes," she said sharply, sternly. "It has been. What are you doing here?" She pulled her _kunai_ from the pouch and held it in front of her as a warning.

"Put that away," Sasuke said calmly in his emotionless tone. "You'll scare her and the boy," he reasoned with her. "Let's just go elsewhere to talk, alright?"

Sakura looked around at Mayuri and Yuki. A minstrel and a boy; could Sasuke really be worried about them? She analyzed Sasuke again. His eyes were as cold and distant as always and it was completely impossible for her to read him. She put the _kunai_ back into the pouch and stood up from her crouch-stance and suddenly the room felt too small, especially with Sasuke's head almost touching the ceiling.

"Yuki, dear," Mayuri called. "Let's go to my room for a while."

"It's okay," Sasuke stopped, holding up his hand. "We'll go."

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" Mayuri asked as she handed him a quilt she hand-crocheted to him. He draped it over his shoulders.

"Yes," he assured her and handed her his weapons pouch. "Hold on to this for me will you? And don't let Yuki play with it." He added the last part more sternly that necessary, casting the boy a worried glance.

"Of course," she said, taking the depleted dirty gray pouch. There was a tiny, unnoticeable rip at the side where the _shurikens_ were held.

Mayuri walked to Yuki as Sakura followed Sasuke out of the house the way he entered just a minute ago. Mayuri pulled out her handy sewing kit and started repairing the bag after emptying it out. There wasn't much in there, just a few nourishment pills and a few blades.

"What are they doing?" Yuki asked curious. "Does Uncle know Haruno-sensei?"

"Yes, they knew each other from before," she replied, suddenly weary. Yuki reached over to touch on of Sasuke's blade and Mayuri lightly slapped his hand away. "Nope. Your uncle told me not to let you touch it."

Ignoring what his mother said Yuki continued on asking questions, "So what are they going to talk about?"

"I don't know," she answered patiently.

"Will she tell other people about us?"

"I don't know either, Yuki. But let us just hope for the best, okay?"

Yuki nodded in the sweet way he always nodded. This black hair glowed lava red next to the fire as he sang another Christmas carol for Mayuri.

Once Sasuke and Sakura were outside and the snow had stopped falling Sakura got on the defensive side. She pulled out her chakra-powered gloves and drew them over her long fingers. She concentrated her chakra on her fists and they were ready to blow away anything that he might throw at her. She was fearless on the battlefield, and she knew it was no different with Sasuke. _Just another opponent_, she told herself.

"I don't want to fight," Sasuke murmured quietly, "at least not with you. I need to talk to you about something. Come on. You're smart, you know I'm unarmed."

Sakura scoffed at his words, "It doesn't matter whether you're armed or not. You're still dangerous."

Sasuke held out his arms with his wrists together. "Then tie up my hands and my feet. Blindfold me, whatever you want, but just listen to me."

Sakura opened her eyes wide opened. What did he just say? He'd let someone tie him up and blindfold him, taking away his ultimate power, just so he can chat a little? Was she really hearing things right? Or was she already caught up in his _genjutsu_?

"This isn't an illusion or a trick," Sasuke said truthfully. He knew exactly what she was thinking. "You can tell the difference, I know you can. Every illusion has a weave in it. Can you find one here? This is real, Sakura."

She wanted to deny it, because if this was all real, then she would have no way of being able to arrest Sasuke. She knew this would be the only chance ever to arrest Sasuke as a rogue ninja, but he wasn't threatening. He wasn't going to harm anybody, any fool could tell. It was clear on his face.

Sakura stood up straight from her fighting stance. She was still suspicious of him, but she gave him one more chance to redeem himself. She didn't feel comfortable just standing there looking at him, so she found a good sized boulder near the trees and dusted the snow off. Her long coat cushioned between the cold, wet rock and her dry clothes.

"Put your hands down," she commanded him, looking away to stare at a bug on the tree next to her. "I'm not going to tie you down."

"Thank you," Sasuke said and dropped his hands to his sides under the warm towel on his shoulders. It had the smell of Mayuri's polishing resin and her favorite scented candle smell all over it. It made him relax.

Sakura knew she should have waited for him to start first but she couldn't help asking, "So are you… with Shirakawa-san?" It was strange to put her thoughts into words. To think that Sasuke might have had a child with a woman was too strange to even think about since he had never shown affection of any kind to anyone that she knew of.

"She's my sister-in-law," he said matter-of-factly.

"Sister-in-law?" Sakura repeated stunned. "You mean she's not in a relationship with you."

"She married my brother," Sasuke continued. "Yukimura's their child. Mayuri showed hospitality to me so I'm taking care of them in my brother's place."

"Brother," Sakura repeated again. She couldn't help but keep wondering what happened to Sasuke. He had just changed so much she could barely recognize him. He used to think of nothing but revenge and pushing himself to become stronger. It was his hatred for his brother that made him so power-hungry. "You never used to call Uchiha Itachi 'brother.' What happened to you?"

"Nothing happened to me," he said honestly. "It was just…" he struggled for the words but they were at a loss to him. So he just simply pointed to the little house that they came out from. "It was what he left behind for me that changed me."

Sakura didn't know what to say. There _was_ nothing to say. She just continued to stare at the bug on the tree until it flew away to find a warmer place to seek shelter. Then there was this awkward silence between them.

"They don't need me right now," Sasuke said. "Yuki's growing up well and he's just obtained his _Sharingan_. Even without me he's probably going to be a genius ninja like his father. Mayuri's job is enough to support the two of them right now. But I beg you not to take me away from them."

Sakura looked up from wherever she was staring at to avoid him, shocked out of her wits again. Sasuke's voice was as sad and desperate as if he were pleading for his life. His eyes were no different. The emotion he had felt like they were pouring out to her like the ocean tide and Sakura was being pulled into them as hard as she tried to resist it.

She shut her eyes tightly, lowered her head, and sighed loudly giving up. "I won't arrest you now," she said. "Only if you agree not to harm a soul in Konoha and if you do get caught you won't mention that I let you go."

Sasuke held up his right hand and swore, "I promised on behalf of this dirty soul of mine." He put his hand down and bowed at Sakura. "Thank you," he said simply.

Sakura forced herself to look away again and made sure that her hair was covering her face so he couldn't see that she was tearing up. She got up and quickly walked past him and opened the back door again. Sasuke straightened up and turned around.

When they walked back into the tiny house together Mayuri had already prepared warm quilts for them to wrap up in and hot coffee right from the brew. Mayuri served them a heartfelt dinner of roast chicken and a wondrous cake she bought from the local bakery that was famous for its tiramisu.

"Here Mother, for you," Yuki said and handed her a little box with messy wrapping. "It's your birthday and Christmas present. Hope you like it."

"Oh, I like it even if I don't know what's in it," she said and kissed his forehead hugged him tightly. "Here you go," she said and handed him a little give box that was wrapped much better that hers. "Merry Christmas, Yuki."

Sakura and Sasuke both watched them as they opened up their gifts. Their faces brightened up even though the gifts were so small and handmade with flaws. Mayuri held up a necklace and earrings that were most likely just paper clips twisted together on a tiny metal plate, but it still looked so beautiful.

"Oh my, Yuki," Mayuri said with this beautiful smile on her face. "They're beautiful. Where'd you learn to make jewelry?"

"I didn't," he said. "I just copied the one on display at the jewelry store that you always look at when we pass by." Yuki went back to carefully unwrapping his gift so that he didn't rip the wrapping paper. He opened the handmade box and took out a necklace with three rings on it. It was simple, no designs or gems on it, just sterling silver. It was large enough that he could slip it on his head without opening the clasp.

"It was your father's," Mayuri told him. She took the necklace from him and looped it over his head. It was too big for him and it hung down the top of his belly. "He's always had it with him. Now I want you to have it. I was going to give it to you at your next birthday, but I couldn't wait." Mayuri smiled and patted out the tangles in his hair as he turned the rings on the necklace watching the light bounce off the angles.

"Thank you, Mother," he said and put the necklace under his shirt. The coolness of it made his chest tingle. He got a gift from under the tree and handed it to Sasuke. "Merry Christmas Uncle," he said to him and then turned to Sakura. "I'm sorry I don't have a gift for you, Haruno-sensei."

"It's okay," Sakura said, slightly embraced for intruding on their Christmas night. "I only came here to check up on your injury. But it seems like your doing fine, so I guess I'll take off," Sakura said, standing up awkwardly.

Mayuri got up with her and took her coat off the rack. She handed it to her at the door and whispered to her, "Make sure you spend Christmas with your husband."

"What?" Sakura muttered when Mayuri opened the door and gave her an encouraging push.

"Here's a calling card for a bakery which I ordered a cake from. I didn't buy it since someone else gave me a cake. I'll give it to you," she said before Sakura could oppose.

"But, I can't," Sakura started to say.

"Haruno-sensei," Mayuri said quietly, "it may be out of my place to say, but make sure you make many good memories with your husband. Promise me that," Mayuri said. "The time I had with my husband was too short. But we made every moment of it count and I still treasure every bit of it."

Sakura thought about it for a second. Mayuri's words were heartfelt and unlike a ninja she showed it. She took Mayuri's hand and said, "I promise. Thank you."

"Merry Christmas," Mayuri said as Sakura walked away in the snow. She closed the door after she was out of sight.

Sakura rushed to the bakery right before it closed and bought the cake. On her way home she took out her radio used on missions. This was the first time that she used it for personal reasons. She turned the dial until it was on the Hokage's personal channel. Because of the bad weather the radio had a bit of static.

"Hello?" Naruto's voice came through. He sounded tired from the all-nighters he had been pulling for three days. It's amazing he's still alive, she thought. "Sakura-chan?"

"Yeah, it's me," she said with a smile. It had felt so long since she had heard his voice. "Are you still working?" Of course he was still working, she thought in her head, but it couldn't hurt to ask.

"Yeah, I'm almost done here. What about you?"

"I'm heading home right now," she said. This was nice, she thought, sharing a romantic time with him. "Have you eaten yet?"

She could hear him lean back in his hair as it squeaked and then his long tired sigh. "I don't think I have eaten any food at all for the past week. I've been living off nutrition pills. What do you have to say about that, Doctor?"

Sakura laughed. Even though he was so much more mature now than when he was a kid trying to get her attention his jokes still made her laugh, even if they were freezing cold. "Hm, well," she started. "I'm going to have to scold you for that."

"Ooh, that must be the worst punishment in the world," he said sounding like he just got a fatal wound.

"I bought a cake," she said as she walked past the park. The City Hall was in view and she could see his office window. "I can see you," she said childishly. He turned around in his hair and looked down from the window. Sakura waved at him and then held up the cake for him to see. "So when can you get home?"

"Just let me summon some shadow clones and I'll be home in a flash," he said. She could see him work up the _jutsu_ with his hands and ten puffs of smoke blew up from nowhere as he split up the work between his clones. "Should we walk home together while we're at it?"

"Okay," Sakura said, smiling happily as she watched him grab his long jacket and walk out the door. "I'll see you in front of the hospital then," she said and cut the radio off. She stuffed it down her pocket and rushed to the hospital where he was waiting for her. She had never thought meeting him like this would be so great.


	8. Fourth Meeting, Part 1

Fourth meeting, part one

_God defend me from my friends; from my enemies I can defend myself. ~Latin proverb_

"Oh my God!" a girl screamed from the staircase at the end of the hall as every head turned her way. "He's coming!" she screamed again and rushed down the hall to meet up with her pack of friends that were running to her also.

"He's coming? He's coming!" they continued to repeat in the same shrill voices as more and more girls joined them. All the guys just rolled their eyes and went to their classrooms.

Under all the havoc of the screaming of the hormone pumped girls one tiny little voice asked, "Who's coming?"

The whole mob of girls backed away from the source of the voice as they circled around the girl. She had on large glasses and was relatively new. Her family has just moved here and she hasn't made any friends at all. She was shy by nature, but she was almost freaking out in her head as every girl in the hall quieted to stare at her.

"You don't know who is coming?" the one that started it all asked. She looked so intimidating at first, but then, out of the blue, she grabbed the girl's arm and said. "You're going to need to do some serious studying here, girl. The obvious person we are talking about is the one and only Shirakawa Yukimura!" she explained, her voice hit a all time high as she and all the other girls screamed again at the sound of his name. "He is the hottest guy in Konoha, no in the whole world," they all said at once. "And we all know where that beauty comes from. His mother is gorgeous. She must have been a model or a star in a foreign country. He dad must have been gorgeous too," they all concluded. "Anyways, once you see him you'll fall...in...love," she said as they all took a moment swooning.

Then there was more screaming from the floor below and they all knew what was coming. Every girl in the hall who had even just a smudge of a crush on Yuki turned stopped what they were doing and looked down at the hall where the stair case was for his long waited return from his mission in the south.

Hearts were thumping out of chests and breathes were held as he stepped up into the hall. The knees of the girls' buckled together as they let out a long sigh for the homecoming of their beloved prince. He walked toward them with an embarrassed smiled that they had named the thousand watt smile and greeted them, "Good morning," with his marvelously melodious voice.

"Good morning," they replied in one perfect accord as hearts melted and love sprouted. "What are you doing there?" someone asked just to hear his voice again.

"I'm trying to get to the administration's office to hand in my mission report," he said casually since they were blocking his way.

"Okay," they all said as they made way for him.

"Thank you," he said awkwardly, "then, I'll see you later." He walked down the hall with every move he made being watched.

"Yuki," his female teammate, Aimi, called as she walked out the hall to see him, "I'll come with you."

"Oh, hello Aimi," he said politely as the girl walked next to him. "You don't really have to come with me. It's not like I'll be ambushed on my way."

"I'll come with you anyways. You've been on the missions way to much," she said. "We've haven't been able to spend any time together recently."

As he walked the rest of the way with Aimi all the girls dispersed to their own classrooms and groups with distaste in their mouths. Everyone who's anyone would know what Aimi had a long crush on Yuki, but no one dared to challenge her to leave him. She was beautiful, from a rich family, skillful in the ways of ninja, and most of all, she was on his team.

"Dude, Senbo," a guy in Aimi's classroom said to his gloomy friend sitting at his seat, "Shirakawa's back."

Senbo scoffed at just the thought of him returning alive. He leaned back on the back pegs of his chair and balanced himself with his foot against the edge of his desk. "So what if he's here? Doesn't change a thing. People'll just talk about him more now."

"And you'll just be more pissed," his friend said and was kicked in the shin by Senbo.

"Shut up Takeda. Just wait until I'm a _jounin_ like Shirakawa," he said with a dark, angry glare. "I'll beat him, one day. Bet on it."

"Well, if your curious, I heard that a _jounin_ exam is coming up in the spring," Takeda said. Takeda was the snoop dog of his team. He was a pro at getting information no matter what it is, but he's just too busy chasing skirts and lazy to put his skill into good use. "I also heard that Shirakawa is a candidate for the next _Hokage_. But that's just a rumor."

Senbo's eyes shot up at Takeda. "Are you kidding? _Hokage_?" he asked with flames in his eyes. Senbo was Yuki's third team member of theirthree cell team and forever sees Yuki as a rival and an enemy. He was born from a high ranking ninja family and expected to exceed as the highest, strongest ninja there is. But because of Yuki he was stuck as a _chounin_ ranked ninja and ridiculed to be weaker than a no name ninja like Shirakawa.

Takeda giggled at his seat. Senbo was just so predictable, which is one the many reasons he hung out with him at all. Senbo was strong and becoming his friend guarantees his protection from anyone that he would like to pick a fight with. And over all Senbo was just so envious of Shirakawa it was hilarious.

"What are you going to do now? Oh I know! 'Just wait until I'm _Hokage_ then I'll beat him?'" he mocked. Senbo glared at him, even though he knew Takeda wasn't afraid of him. "That's what I like about you, Senbo-chi, you never give up," he said and hopped away before Senbo could hit him for ridiculing his name. "Work hard at it, Sen," he said as he went to the safety of his seat on the opposite side of the classroom.

"I'll wait here," Aimi said when they got to the door of the office. As someone that wasn't a participant of the missions she wasn't allowed to know any details about it.

Yuki smiled at her and entered silently with only a click as the door closed. Aimi was a pretty girl with admirable talents but only a friend to him. He might a genius as reading people's minds with their actions but he was as dense as a rock when it came to the romantic feelings and didn't have a clue Aimi was in love with him.

"Shirakawa Yukimura reporting for duty," he said in attention.

"At ease," his teacher said. Until Yuki's promotion to _jounin_ level ninja Ken was his teacher, now he led his three cell team of Senbo and Aimi on his own. "Welcome home," he said and smiled with relief. Ken was exceptionally proud of Yuki out of all the students that he has taught at the academy.

"Here's my report," Yuki said and handed him a file.

"Thanks. I'll give it to the _Hokage_ immediately. So how did it go, the mission?" he asked without diving to deeply into the mission details.

"Good. Everything went according to plan," he said, confident in his abilities.

"Well, that's expected," Ken joked. "Anyways, I know you just came back and all but there is another mission assigned to you and it will require a three-man cell. I've tried to persuade them to assign someone else for the mission, but times are rough. There isn't anyone else that can do it that is not busy."

Yuki listened patiently. "I understand. I'll take it."

"Really? But you've just come back," Ken reasoned with him.

"It's alright. A ninja lives for the missions assigned to him, I'll accept it," he said. "When's the briefing?"

"This afternoon," Ken said and handed him a sheet of paper with minimum mission details. "Get two more people to go with you."

"Understood," Yuki said. "I'll be heading to class then. Mid-terms are coming up."

"I know. Now go before you lose anymore time on studying."

Yuki bowed and exited the room. Aimi was still waiting for him outside the door and jumped up like a puppy when she saw him.

"So do you want to hang out this afternoon or something?" she asked.

"I can't. I have another briefing," Yuki said, and Aimi's face grew long.

"Another mission?" she pouted. "Where are you going now?"

"Don't know," he said. Seeing how long Aimi's face looked, Yuki sighed asked, "would you like to come with me on it? It requires a three-man cell."

Aimi's ears shot up and her eyes sparkled. "Really?"

"Yeah. Just come for the briefing and be prepared for anything. There's a lot of stuff going on recently," he said.

"Got it!" Aimi said with a bright smile on her face.

Yuki and Aimi walked into their class which was having a silent study time. Aimi went directly to her group of friends to gloat about Yuki asking her to go on a mission with him. Yuki went to Senbo's desk where he was busy writing out new strategic plans for battle tactics. He saw Yuki come along and covered up what he was writing since it was a plan he came up with to defend against one of Yuki's battle tactics.

"Hey," Yuki said simply. Senbo glanced up at Yuki with his evil eye that never works on him. His evil eye should have brought a paralyzing fear to whoever he looks at, but it never affects Yuki.

"Hey," he said and looked out the window at the boring view; he didn't want to see Yuki.

"What have you been up to?" Yuki asked peeking at the paper Senbo covered with his arm.

"Battle tactics," he said just to get him off the topic.

"Always working hard, aren't you?" Yuki said and admired Senbo's persistence. "Anyways, I have another mission and I need one more person for a three-man cell. You want to come along?"

Senbo would have usually declined the offer of working with others on a mission and stay home practicing, but this was Yuki inviting him. He could take this chance to study Yuki's fighting habits more if he were in real action. "Sure."

"Okay then, the old team's back together," Yuki said with a smile, it's been along time since he's been on a mission with Senbo and Aimi. "Briefing's here at four. I'll see you then, I have an errand to run for my mother," he said as the bell rang and the school day was over.

Yuki dashed out the school afraid to be mobbed by girls again and lose precious time with his mother and his uncle, if Sasuke had returned. He went directly to his home even though most likely no one's going to be there. But he wouldn't mind doing a little house work for his mother. He missed the smell of resin and stringed instruments, although Mayuri has sold a couple in the past few years. She only kept her beloved _kokyu_ and _koto_ with her.

He opened all the windows and let the air circulate a bit and started mopping and dusting until Mayuri came back home. She carried with her the _kokyu_ box and grocery bags. She turned around and almost fell back on her butt when she saw him.

"Oh dear! You scared me," she exclaimed. "Can't you say something when I walk through the door? A 'Hello,' or a 'Welcome home,' wouldn't hurt would it?"

"What about you? Wouldn't seeing your one and only son returned from risking his life on a mission for a month make you say, 'Welcome home, Yuki dear!' with tears in your eyes and a hug to congratulate?" he asked imitating his mother's voice.

Mayuri smiled, her boy was getting too clever for her to handle. She put the _kokyu_ down with the bags and held out her arms. "Come here you big lug!" she said as he gave her a hug. She had to tip to be able to fit in his embrace.

He took her _kokyu_ to the shelf and set it down gently.

"So when did you get back?" she asked, taking out the ingredients for tonight's dinner to start chopping.

"This morning," he said. "I went to the academy to hand in my report and came home."

"And the first thing you do at home is clean?" she asked. "Wherever did you learn that?"

Yuki shrugged with his large wide shoulders like a kid. "I just felt like it. I missed home and I missed you," he said and grabbed Mayuri from behind and lifted her feet off the ground. She screamed and started to smack him with a spring onion telling him to put her down.

After he finally put her down she slapped him on the shoulder with the wilting onion again. "Do that again and you won't have dinner," she said, angry, but she couldn't blame him. He was fifteen and in the middle of puberty even though he was genius ninja. He does weird things sometimes for no reason.

Yuki went out again at four for his briefing and came home knowing his mother will be worried for him again. When he came through the door Sasuke was already at home helping Mayuri by setting up the table.

"Welcome home," Sasuke said when he saw him. "How was it?" he asked him about the mission.

"The same as always," he said and went to his room to put the full mission report in his room. He came back out and helped. At dinner he told them he had another mission.

"Another one?" Mayuri asked, disappointed. She was going to make him go with her to the morning market the next day.

"Yeah," he said. "It's been really busy lately and there's no one else that can do it. But don't worry Mother. It's a three-man cell mission. I'll have Senbo and Aimi with me, and all we're doing is delivering a peace treaty, no one should get hurt."

"I suppose," she said, but couldn't stop worrying. It was his first mission out of the country. He would be a foreigner with no one on his side. "Well, then I suppose you should rest early tonight."

"Yeah," Yuki said and stood up. "I'll start preparing right now and go to sleep before ten."

When Yuki got into his room and they could hear him rummaging through his stuff and packing a bag Mayuri got up to wash the dishes and Sasuke checked through his own things. Yuki's life is going to get rougher from this point on if it wasn't already rough enough.

When he was sure Yuki has slept he whispered to Mayuri, "Tomorrow I'll trail Yuki in secret."

Mayuri smiled. "Thanks. That would make me just a little bit less worried. Then you had better sleep early also," she said as she put a hand on his arm. "Good night," she said.

The next day Yuki left early. Mayuri had prepared a lunch for the three of him, Senbo, and Aimi although Yuki said there was no need to. Yuki got to the rendezvous a second before Senbo and three minutes before Aimi.

Meanwhile Sasuke prepared to follow them. He would travel high up in the trees and his black should keep him warm at night without being seen. To conceal his face he wore a wind breaker. He hid his _katana_ underneath his cape so it wouldn't get in his way. Before he left he took a clump of Mayuri's resin just in case there's a need for him to show himself Yuki would recognize him by the smell and find a way to help him escape. He put the resin in a pouch and hung it around his neck.

"I'll be going then," he said to Mayuri.

"Take care of Yuki," she said.

"That's my mission," he said and disappeared behind the door.

Before he took off trailing after them he first covered himself in foliage, concealing the fragrant smell of Mayuir's home. The resin he took with him was a back up. He activated his _Sharingan_ and chased after Yuki and his team.

He kept a good distance away from them so they couldn't possibly even find a hint of him trailing them. From the direction they were heading too _Otogakure_, the Sound village. He had to extra careful if they meet any _Otokagure_ ninjas. Because of his past with Orochimaru some of the elites there know his face and some wouldn't hesitate to try and rip his head off.

They traveled swiftly for a whole day without any disruptions which is a perfect start but hard thing was coming up. The night before Sasuke had planted a microphone on Yuki's hair tie since it was the only thing that he would be careless about. It was a fault on Yuki's side, but a chance on Sasuke's.

As they entered into the village and were somewhat welcomed by the residents there Sasuke waited outside, since he couldn't risk entering and being found out. He put the earphone of the receiver in and listened in on what Yuki and his gang was up to. The walked for about five minutes into an inn and was showed to their rooms.

"Ah! We're finally here!" he heard the girl say.

"Don't drop your guard down," Senbo said. "We might have been welcomed like guests, but we are on a peace treaty mission. Until the treaty is signed the _Oto_ are still enemies. Later we'll have to escort up to five of them as _jounin_ examinees. They are _chounin_ like us, our guard cannot be weak."

"Blah, blah, blah. You're always so uptight, Senbo," Aimi said. "We have Yuki on our side, who can beat him? Chill-ax," she said casually as she opened the window and stretch out her long legs for the world to see. She stretched out her arms to show off her S-line body although she clearly knew Yuki wasn't the type to fall for only a pretty face and a good body and she couldn't care less about what Senbo thought.

The next day they went to the City Hall of _Otogakure _and handed the _Otokage_ the treaty. He was ready to sign it when they came in and did so without even looking at the document.

"Tomorrow I'll ask that you would escort some of our students to _Konohagakure_ for the upcoming _jounin _exam. I'm sure that they'll reach your home land safely."

"Rest assured," Yuki said. "I'll personally make sure that they reach _Konoha_."

The next day they departed with six ninjas from _Oto._ Sasuke followed behind again. Signing a peace treaty was more dangerous than most life-risking missions. There were only two reasons for signing such a treaty. One is to have peace and alliance, the other is war. Once the treaty regulations are broken war is just around the corner. There could be ninjas against the alliance between _Oto_ and _Konoha_, and they would do anything for a good war. Targeting Yuki's team or the _Oto_ ninjas he was escorting was the first thing they would do.

They were only a few _chounin_ ninja kids and one teenage _jounin_. Killing on of them and planting false evidence that the other side killed him was an easy job to do, especially for espionage ninjas skilled in things like this.

They traveled for half a day without any attack and it seemed strange to him it was so quiet. It was impossible that no one is trying to create a war between the two nations. _Konoha_ might be one of the five great ninja villages and seem to overrule _Otogakure_, but _Oto _has its own powers too and their ninjas aren't anywhere second rate.

Sasuke activated his _Sharingan_ and looked for any signs that someone might be approaching. There weren't any traps so far but something didn't sit right with him. The kids were traveling at almost half the speed the came since of the increase in numbers. When the sun was starting to set Sasuke caught a glimpse of something in between the trees. A trap! And Yuki and the other were running straight into it.

He increased his speed by tenfold and flew through the branches of the tall trees sheltering him. Around the trap were five ninjas, two were female and three male. They were _Oto_ ninjas, compromising for sure. They have already started dispersing and he thought to save Yuki would be the better choice. He can follow them later, although one stayed behind to work the trap.

Sasuke rushed as fast as he could to where Yuki was praying all along that he'd be able to see the trap even if he forbidden to activate his _Sharingan_. Yuki was skilled and a genius, but he was still a boy and inexperienced, and the one that set the trap was a professional.

He heard the first screams. It was the girl, Aimi. There were multiple traps some designed to kill and some to capture. The setter cleverly captured the _Oto_ ninja kids and maneuvered the trap to kill Yuki's team. They would rather blacken their name instead of killing off their own.

The _Oto_ ninjas were already captured and they were cleverly hidden in the foliage, but Sasuke was sure they weren't even scratched. Senbo was caught in a web of explosive wires and was struggling to get out of it with Yuki's help. The trap was programmed to explode within the time limit of if they were to cut the wires.

_Yuki was smart enough to figure that one out,_ Sasuke thought. He needed to concentrate on saving the girl that was falling into a wide pit with bamboo spears at the bottom. No matter what happens he wouldn't let her die. He was just a meter away from Yuki now and saw the trap that was coming for him.

He took out his _katana_ and in a flash sliced the giant log spear swinging toward Yuki up and stopping it's inertia at the same time. The trap setter didn't see him, but knew he was there and fled in the middle of the action. Sasuke continued to fly forwards down the pit Aimi was falling in. It was ten feet deep and ten feet across.

Aimi had her eyes closed as Sasuke caught her. He summoned this chakra and concentrated it at the palm of his hand and lighting burst from it screaming like a thousand birds. He used its power at full blast to boost them back up, or at least until he could get a foot hold and climb back up. His _Chidori_ move only boosted them halfway up the pit without a foothold and Sasuke threw up a grappling at a thick branch and pulled them up before they his the pikes on the bottom.

He landed with Aimi in the trees and made sure she had a good foothold before disappearing into the dense trees. Aimi didn't see her rescuer's face, but she did see his blood red eyes. At first she was stunned but her good brain started to work. She had seen the design of the man's pupil somewhere in her text books, but she couldn't remember which one it was. There was a definite bloodline to it thought, that she was sure of.

She focused on Yuki and Senbo, they have successfully gotten out of the trap and were running towards her to find shelter from the coming explosion. They hid behind a tree a couple of meters away as the wires exploded everything within a three meter radius into smithereens.

"What the hell was that?" Aimi asked as Yuki and Senbo examined what could have been their murder scene.

"We are being ambushed," Yuki said matter-of-factly. He was used to being attacked since he's been on many A-ranked missions and a few S-ranked. Aimi on the other hand didn't have that experience. Senbo didn't either, but he was driven with his desire to defeat Yuki to show it.

Yuki noticed that the _Oto_ ninjas were alive in their nets and cages and freed them. They were just as confused as he, Senbo, and Aimi were without a clue as to who attacked them and a fight erupted between them.

"It must have been you who attacked us," the _Oto_ ninja accused.

"Are you kidding?" Aimi burst back with the same force. "We were the ones that were almost killed! And what were you guys doing? Sitting in your traps like ducks wadding in a pool waiting for rescue!" she said. "It was you guys who attacked us."

Aimi and the _Oto_ ninjas were neck to neck ready to fight against each other when Yuki stepped in between them.

"It doesn't matter who attacked who. We just know that there are people ambushing us, they probably want to break the treaty and start a war. And all I know is that it's our mission to get you safely into _Konoha_. Until then, let there be no quarrels," Yuki said, calmly.

Instantly all the girls were on his side and the guys were hearing his words. They agreed, there shouldn't be a war. Senbo who couldn't careless of whether there is a war or not just examined the field.

"There was someone here," he said. "I didn't see him clearly. He just moved so fast, but I'm sure I saw him. He was a blur of black and he stopped the swinging spear and saved Aimi from the pit. And now he's gone."

"What?" Yuki asked.

"I saw him too," Aimi said. "For just a second, but I'm sure when I was up at that tree," she said and pointed to it even though it was now burnt black and hardly recognizable as a tree. "He had red eyes. Some short of bloodline I think, I don't know what it is though, and I didn't see it very clearly. He was really fast."

"Okay, well whoever this mystery man is, he saved us so he shouldn't be a threat," Yuki said. "Let's just continue for a little while longer and set up camp. We'll have three cell watch teams at night by the hour just incase we have another attack. Let's keep ourselves alive, shall we?"

They set up camp by Yuki's instructions at the exact calculated time so there won't be a quarrel that someone had more time to sleep than the others, and they woke up early in the morning and set off again. Yuki rushed them a little more. The sooner they were in _Konoha_, the sooner they would be safe.

Sasuke followed closer behind them, but still kept a good distance between them. Yesterday was too close a call for him to slack of today. He couldn't risk being seen again. He activated his _Sharingan_ watched with his enhanced eyes at anything that seemed formidable to be dangerous to them.

The night before, the renegade _Oto_ ninjas gathered in a cave used as a hideout in the previous war. One sitting farthest from the back was the leader and he waited for his men to gather together.

"We were so close," one of his lackeys complained to the others. "We almost had them, if that blasted ninja didn't get in our way."

"Do you know who he is?" the taller female one said. She was the one that set up the traps and handed the leader a picture of him she drew for identification.

"Yeah," said one that came out of the ground after the drawing was passed around. "I've seen his face a couple of times on wanted posters. That man is Uchiha Sasuke. He used to be under Orochimaru and then killed him. He joined the _Akatsuki_ after that and then just disappeared."

"What's he doing here?" a tall skinny man with spider-leg like fingers murmured in his hoarse voice.

"I don't know," said the other woman, "but I want to get him hands on his pretty little face."

"That's enough, Miyako," the other woman, her master said.

Then the leader said, "Either way we need to get rid of him, he'll just be an obstacle. Tomorrow we'll ambush them again. This time it doesn't matter who gets killed. Just make sure you plant the evidence. I'll take care of Uchiha Sasuke. Remember, we won't let this alliance happen."

His minions didn't reply in words, but they scattered in the blink on an eye in the positions they were set up in. The man got up from his seat on a large bolder in the darkness of the cave and slid his _katana_ slowly from its sheath. The moonlight reflected off the silvery blade in bright bursts of light.

On the blade was inscribed his family name, Nichi, which meant to slice. He was brought up in a family of assassins known for never leaving a victim alive. He cut his own finger at the end of the blade and watched the think red liquid drip down the blade. He put his cut finger at his lips and licked his wound closed. At the salty taste of blood his lips curled up in a hideous smile and snickered in the dark.

"You thirst for blood too, don't you, _Chikyu-ban_?" he asked the sword as he held it up. "That's because you're a Vampire sword. I'll seek out our prey and satisfy you. After all, Uchiha blood is a rare delicacy indeed. The last of its kind I heard."

Nichi slid the sword back into its sheath. He was trembling with just the thought of fighting an Uchiha, once the greatest warriors of Konoha. And he went mad at the thought of piercing through the flesh of Sasuke, and the smell of iron in the air after all his blood as been spilt. _Would he scream?_ Nichi wondered to himself. Well, it didn't matter. He just wanted to see what an Uchiha would look like at his mercy.

Dawn came as his fantasies ended. He patted the sword at his side. It's time for action.


	9. Fourth Meeting, Part 2

Fourth meeting, part two

_Faith is the strength by which a shattered world shall emerge into the light. ~Hellen Keller (1880-1968)_

Sasuke opened his eyes as sunlight peaked through the balcony of the trees. He was at least twenty feet above the little campsite the kids built. His cape was wrapped around him tightly so the cold air wouldn't seep in. He didn't move and inch. He stayed half asleep on the branch of the tree like that for the whole night. And it was a cold night at a freezing ten degrees Celsius.

He peeked down below him where the ninja kids were just starting to wake up. It would take them a few more minutes until they start traveling again. Sasuke took this time to start warming up his body. He pulsed _chakra_ through his body warming it up. He stayed put until he was sure Yuki's group was well ahead of him to start trailing.

Yuki had the _Oto_ ninjas and his team form groups of twos just in case they were to be attacked. They had to look out for their partner. It was the only way to insure that they would keep each other alive. Aimi was paired with an _Oto_ girl and Senbo with a guy. The rest were paired together however they wanted. Yuki didn't have a partner and lead the group even though there was some dispute of why he should be the leader. And that discussion came down with a simple conclusion from the leader of the _Oto_ group, his name was Sasaki Kenjo. Yuki was a _Jounin_ and the rest of them were _Chounin_.

Sasuke followed closely behind Yuki's group. They have been traveling for a few hours already and everything has been going smoothly. That meant some kind of disaster is going to take place soon.

Just as he thought that a _shuriken_ flew past his face. He stopped in mid air and grabbed a branch as he fell. He swung around and landed on top of it. A man he's never seen before walked around from where he was hiding.

He had flat mud colored hair and sharp eyes with the same muddy color. A leather strap hung around one shoulder and carried the long sword at his side. Even with the grip of it worn out it still looked like a beautiful sword.

"Sorry, I missed," he apologized half heartedly.

Sasuke didn't say anything for a while. He could tell from where the _shuriken_ landed it was meant to miss him. He used it has a diversion to stop Sasuke in his tracks. The two just stared at each other, trying to find an opening. His opponent was skilled.

"Are you wondering why I didn't kill you with the _shuriken?"_ Nichi asked Sasuke since he didn't reply. He snickered and pulled out his sword. "That's because I don't kill anyone with anything except for _Chikyu-ban_," he said sickly, running his long fingers down the edge of the blade.

Sasuke didn't reply. He didn't have time for a conversation. It was evident that this man was one of those that attacked Yuki the day before. They all had a similar smell his heightened senses could detect. They smelled like blood and dirt mixed together.

"I see you're not a talkative one," Nichi said, irritated that he was being ignored by his enemy. He let out a deep, long, disappointed sigh of boredom. He picked up his blade and aimed it at Sasuke, "Anyways," he said lazily. "Here I go!" he screamed with burning ambition to tear his opponent down.

Nichi launched the blade at his target concentrated on his neck. Sasuke just shifted his head to one side as the rocket-fast sword almost ripped through his body. It was a simple dodge at something going just one way.

But then he saw Nichi smirk under his long bangs that covered most of his face as he turned his wrist at just a slight angle. Then Sasuke saw what was coming for him in his peripheral vision and tried to duck out of the way but the sword sliced through his shoulder and blood splattered all over the grass he now stood on as he landed on the ground.

Nichi caught his sword as it flew back to him like a boomerang. He licked Sasuke's blood off the tip of the sword to taste. He smiled revoltingly. Then he laughed the quiet evil laugh of a mad man. His eyes were like he was possessed with a demon at its first kill.

"Indeed, the blood of a genius race is delightful," he muttered hauntingly as he staggered around in a circle on his scrawny doe legs.

Sasuke grabbed a thick handful of his cape and mashed it on the opened wound to get it to stop bleeding like a broken fountain. With his years of experience he was able to learn some healing techniques with _chakra_ and sealed up his cut. He quickly popped a nutrient pill in his mouth to make up for the mass of blood he lost while the mad man was laughing in his own morbid dreamland.

Sasuke stood up, dead serious this time, as Nichi came back to reality. His throat felt dry and his body went into withdrawal.

"Not enough," he whispered with a horribly rasp. He limped toward Sasuke in one slow zombie like motion. "Not enough," he rasped on, louder this time. "It's not enough!" he screamed with his hoarse voice as he catapulted his sword at Sasuke again.

Sasuke dodge and jumped into a tree as the sword followed him like magic. Nichi moved wildly in a crazed dance as he controlled his sword with thin wires around his wrists. His eyes were constantly searching for his prey. Soon he found a pattern Sasuke was traveling in with his skilled eyes. He smirked and drool fell out of his mouth at the though of being able to feast on the fresh blood of Uchiha Sasuke, the last of his kind.

He whipped his blade around and struck Sasuke right next to his wind pipe. He made sure he didn't kill him right off the bat. He wanted to make sure the Uchiha pleaded for death as Nichi ate him apart.

Sasuke fell to the ground with his hands on the blade holding it up from sliding anymore into his throat. His whole body was numb and he knew hew as going to die, but all he could feel was the burning pain all over his body as if hell was attacking him.

Nishi walked over to his fallen prey. He put his hand gently on the tip of _Chikyu-ban's_ hilt and greedily pushed the blade down until it cut the nerves at the back of the neck. Sasuke's body fell limp on the ground, paralyzed. Blood gushed out on the grass staining it red. He wanted to scream, but he couldn't make a sound with his vocal cords ripped apart.

"Hee, hee, hee," Nichi laughed in a high pitch. "I win," he said with his sick and repulsive smile. He knelt down on the ground to Sasuke could hear his whispers as he described the ways he would kill him. "Do you know why _Chikyu-ban_ only aims at the neck? I'm sure you've noticed." He laughed again as he dug his long dirty nails into Sasuke's shoulder wound, splitting up the skin and soaking his finger with blood. "That's because we're vampires," he whispered demonically as he stuck his finger into his mouth. Somehow the blood tasted less satisfying to him than the last time.

He sighed again in disappointment. "I can't believe someone like you, infamous for all the evil sins you've committed would die so easily in my hands," he said idly. But then a cold and hot blade was held at his deathly pale neck. He froze in fear.

"Who's going to die in whose hands?" Sasuke muttered darkly as he held his _katana_ from behind the confused Nichi. Suddenly the one under Nichi's sword disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"A shadow clone?" Nichi stuttered as he realized what had happened. Sasuke had replaced himself with a clone somewhere as Nichi was crazily chasing after him with his sword. But he still smiled sadistically. His blade fell on the ground flat and he started to cackle insanely like a witch.

Sasuke stayed silent as he continued to hold the blade at Nichi's neck.

"I still win!" he chortled. "That shoulder wound isn't just a flesh wound!" he screamed as he turned around and faced Sasuke with his distorted face. "_Chikyu-ban_ was coated with a special poison from my clan! It's impossible to cure! Within four hours you'll start to feel feverish and then your organs will burn from the inside out as the poison eats it away! I'm a vampire! I don't stop even if I'm dead!" he shrieked and finally Sasuke slid his _katana_ across Nichi's neck it severed it from his shoulders.

He moved on without even watching the dead body fall on the ground as the mad man finally died. He didn't care what happened to him. He deserved death anyways, it didn't matter when. He had to protect Sasuke and the treaty he bore on his shoulders. While he was wasting his time with the mad man who knows what happened to Yuki.

Sasuke felt a tinge in his chest, but he ignored it and sped on to where Yuki was.

Yukimura moved his group quickly. He felt a disturbance in the air. The animals have scattered into their hiding places and the air felt dead. He slowed down to where the _Oto_ leader was behind him.

"Be on guard," he warned him and then sent the signal to Aimi and Senbo.

They traveled a few more minutes when Yuki noticed something strange. He pulled out one of his _kunais_ hidden in his single long sleeve and slashed the bark of the tree with practiced stealth and continued forward like nothing happened. The group went on for another five minutes when he saw the exact same slash. He stopped his group immediately and they all halted on the grassy grounds.

"What's wrong, Yuki?" Aimi asked.

"We're trapped," he said, while trying to find the loop hole.

Aimi got into her stance away from her partner. She took out her _kunai_ and guarded herself. They were stuck in a _genjutsu _she's never seen before. If Yuki hadn't said anything she would never have guessed.

Of course the first one to notice the loop hole was Yuki. He had activated his _Sharingan_ for just a half second, enough to find it. He grabbed a _kunai_ from his sack and tossed it at a tree just a little to the left of him in one fluid motion.

As soon as it struck the bark of the tree the illusion melted away although the scenery was exactly the same. A woman stood with Yuki's _kunai_ impaled into the many layers of her clothing as droplets of blood ran down her leg. She fell limp on the ground.

"Damn, brats," she cursed under her breath as she searched for the round end of the _kunai_. She stared right into the eyes of the one that broke her _genjutsu_ with immense hate. But he showed no reaction to her glare, and she hated him even more for having such as pacified and pretty face as she was reduced to totally humiliation front of her comrades.

She circled her fingers around the steel ninja blade as she wanted to pull it out. She'd rather end her life having all her blood flow out right there and then than have them laugh at her later.

"Don't pull it out, Miyako," her female comrade commanded her from a high branch of the tree behind her. "If you pull it out and die where am I supposed to find another servant as good as you?" she asked with her powerful tone.

"Ruri-sama,"Miyako muttered as her master and friend flew down from the tree and stood next to her protectively.

"Stand up and fight," she whispered to her follower. "You who dare to injure a servant of mine," she said as she pointed a long finger at Yuki, "you will see the wrath and rage of Sasaki Ruri of _Otogakure_!"

"Ruri-san," the _Sasaki Kenjo_ said, "why are you doing this? Didn't you say you wanted peace?"

Sasaki Ruri turned her face away in grief. Could she throw down her pride and tell him that she was being threatened. And the very being that Nichi had threatened was him, Sasaki Kenjo. He had placed a bug on him that would inject poison into his nervous system when Nichi gave the order. She was sure he was somewhere watching her every move. If she showed any sign of wanting to remove the bug at his neck he would kill Kenjo immediately.

"You won't even understand, young cousin," she said to him. "A peace between _Konoha_ and _Otogakure _will never work out. The two nations have always been at war."

"Isn't that why you wished for peace?" Kenjo objected, confused. Ruri was the daughter of the head of the Sasaki clan and most likely the next leader. Kenjo was her only cousin and like a brother to Sasaki Ruri.

"You will never understand," she repeated again. It was true. For a person like Kenjo, who has never had to shoulder the burden of protecting a whole clan, it was impossible to understand especially at his young age. "Now stand down or you'll be considered a target."

"I refuse!" he exclaimed. "You are a proud person, Cousin Ruri, and may think the whole world is on your shoulders alone. But I have my pride also. I must protect these _Konoha_ ones and my own team. If you advance I will consider you an enemy."

In that moment it felt like a thick bastard sword was shoved through her chest. Sasaki Ruri was stuck at a fork road. She couldn't attack her cousin who she's always treated as a brother, nor could she deny the command of Nichi or he'd kill Kenjo.

She decided to become Kenjo's enemy. At least she could feign attacking him whilst missing his vital points rather than hand his life over to someone much crueler. She pulled out her _katana_ and aimed it at him. She closed her eyes, _here goes nothing_, and charged forward.

The other two male rogue ninjas burst out from the bushes they were hiding in. One was tall, long, and thin with large half closed eyes. His skin was a muddy brown color with pink and yellow sun spots and his hair was dirty and messy like it had never been washed in his life. His kimono was just a dirty gray V-shaped cloth tied around his waist with a black leather belt and ugly trousers that have never seen a tailor.

The other man was bulky and tall. His skin was he same color as the skinny man and his head didn't have a hair on it. His eyebrows were thick and he looked menacing as he stood there with large bare feet and arms crossed in front of his chest.

Kenjo blocked Sasaki Ruri's attack with his speedy sword as the other ninja kids grouped together in the small teams Yuki assigned them in. They all understood that if they didn't work together they would all be slaughtered. That was the world they were born into.

The wounded Miyako tried to stand up using the tree behind her as a support. She wanted to be beside her master in this fight knowing exactly what Ruri's situation was. Yuki saw her as a threat and tossed a length of wire with a weight at the end. The wire looped around the thick tree and tied itself with the weight, binding Miyako to the tree.

"Curse you!" she screamed as her arms were immobilized next to her body, unable to get herself out of the trap.

Yuki didn't have time to listen to the curses she spat out. The others had formed into two groups, each facing off with a rouge ninja as Kenjo faced Ruri himself.

The elongated ninja stretched out his hands as he executed his ninja skills perfectly. Thin sticky strings unwrapped from his fingers, wrists, ankles, and waist as he controlled them and trapped his adolescent opponents in a silk web made with mucus and glue. The more they struggled the more they trapped themselves.

"Kikikiki," he laughed with the back of his throat. "Don't move little ones," he croaked as he spun more silk with his secret ninja techniques. He rubbed his fingers together and the stick substance came out and he replaced the strings back on his wrists with a smile that showed all of his nasty rotten teeth.

He crawled on his man-made web with special shoes and hands coated with a substance that won't get him caught in his own web. He looked like a four legged spider as he crept over to Aimi and breathed on her with his sewage smelling breath. She almost suffocated from his breath.

"Now don't struggle little girl," he said as his voice turned eerily high pitched all of a sudden. "I promise I'll make your coffin very warm and snug for you."

He twirled his long boney arms over Aimi's head as the newly spun silk webs wrapped around her body. He was making a cocoon, constricting her until he squeezed out her very last breath. He worked extraordinarily fast and within a few seconds the adhesive silk had already started to wrap around her shoulders. He glanced at the other trying to get out before they were going to meet the same fate.

He was up to Aimi's chin when he created a shadow clone to help him do his dirty work. The clone crawled up to a poor, terrified _Oto_ child and rubbed its hands together with a ghastly smile on his face. The _Oto_ child started screaming, terrified of her fate as the spider ninja covered up Aimi's head in his silky tomb.

Just then Yuki tossed a _kunai_ from where he was trying to take down the bulky man with Senbo's group. The man's skin was as hard as a turtle's shell. Their blades couldn't even put a scratch on him. If this continued, he would have no choice but to use his _Sharingan_ and that would bring some problems.

The spider ninja hissed at Yuki as his clone was destroyed. He was a ninja without much chakra stored up in him that's why he uses his family's special technique to trap his enemies and the sucks the chakra out of them like a spider with its prey.

He scrambled over to Aimi in her cocoon. He raised his head high up in a grotesque way. Two large fangs shot out from his upper jaw as he slammed his head down on the top of the cocoon. His fangs hit Aimi's left shoulder and she screamed in pain. The spider ninja's fangs drew out her chakra like a injected needle. He didn't care how much chakra she had, he needed it so he's going to take it.

After about thirty seconds he felt full and for some reason his stomach was bulging like a pregnant woman's. He burped like a baby with a satisfied face. Then suddenly something erupted from his throat and he threw up a ball of slime entangled with his special silk webs the size of a small lamp shade.

"Ah," he burped again, wiping the slime off his face. Now he had enough chakra to summon another shadow clone and he did. The two of them took the slime and started to tangle up the others. When the web touched the ninja kids they became paralyzed.

This silk was a special silk formed in the bowel of the ninja. It only materializes when he has sucked the life out of someone, in this case Aimi. He cackled as he finished weaving the coffins of his prey. Then he devised a plan on how to torture them before he eats them up.

Yuki glanced over at the giant web in between his fight and Kenjo's fight. Three large white cocoons stood straight up, entangled in the large web. He had just heard Aimi's screams and the other two were too quiet for any good. The ninja that trapped them was just sitting on his death web as if it were a hammock, lazing around. He had to finish this man quickly.

Senbo and the other ninja boy they were with were just busy dodging the bulky ninja's rock hard arm as he swung it around widely. He ripped down trees and dented boulders whenever he hit them. Sasuke had no choice but to use his _Sharingan._ Just one second, no one should notice.

He leapt onto the man's broad shoulders and thrust his _kunai_ in the softer area between his shoulder and neck. That was enough to stop the raging giant from his one-man stampede and give Yuki just a second to look into the man's eyes and cast his _genjutsu_ spell on him.

In an instant the large man froze in his steps and fell to his knees. His eyes were wide open like someone took a picture of him as he woke up from a nightmare with cold sweat covering his face. It seemed like he wasn't breathing at all, his mouth was gaping, completely frozen in the nightmarish images that were taking place in his head.

Yuki slid down his shoulders swiftly and glimpsed back at the man that was now tearing up with drool dripping from his still opened mouth. That was unexpectedly easy. The man was big but he moved like a kid.

Now he was off to save Aimi's group. The spider ninja had already seen how quickly Yuki took down the giant and had scurried away atop a tree waiting for the perfect chance to strike. He didn't know what Yuki did to the giant, but he desperately wanted to know

Senbo had seen what Yuki did, even if it was only for a tenth of a second. Red pupils like blood, he had seen it before somewhere in his textbooks, but he has never seen Yuki use it.

_ When did he get that power?_ Senbo thought and suspicious thoughts entered in his mind. He started to weave random stories of how he thought about Yuki as he often did. On his mind, he only wanted to defeat Yuki in total humiliation.

Yuki, Senbo, and the other _Oto_ boy went over to the cocoons and cut them open making sure not to touch the sticky webs themselves. Yuki slit opened Aimi's cocoon and she fell out of it, unconscious and barely breathing. The spider ninja had sucked too much chakra out of her. The other two were just sleeping; the new cocoon silk was covered with sedatives that caused paralysis.

Yuki laid Aimi gently on the ground. He needed to restart her breathing and get her heart to start pumping. He squatted over her and tipped her head back and performed CPR. From above, a thread of silk gathered together with a sharp point harpooned through the air at Yuki at over 100 kilometers and hour.

Yuki didn't have the time to pull out a weapon to defend against it. Instead he grabbed Aimi and rolled out of the way as the spear of silk pierced through the earth. Before he could react, another spear went flying at him with twice the speed of the last one.

Yuki prepared himself to be struck by the spear to protect Aimi when Sasuke leapt through the air with his _katana_ and cut the spear in two. At the same time he tossed a _kunai_ at the shooter thirty feet above him, hidden in the foliage. He struck the spider ninja's left shoulder at the nerves. He shouldn't be able to move that arm.

Everybody stopped what they were doing and stared at the intruder. Sasuke just stood in the middle of the crowd. He was used to being stared at like a freak.

"Uchiha Sasuke," Sasaki Ruri muttered as her sword lowered. "What are you doing here?"

He glared at her. He didn't' know who she was and why she was here, but she was a threat to Yukimura and that made her his enemy.

"I killed your leader," Sasuke declared quietly, causally, as if taking a life was nothing to him.

"You've killed Nichi," Ruri repeated. Her eyes widened at the new information. She lowered her guard.

"Ruri-sama," Miyako called out from the tree. "Nichi is dead. You are free!"

"You are absolutely right, Miyako," Ruri said with new resolve. "That means right now," she exclaimed pointing her sword at the canopy where the spider ninja was hiding, "you are the only nemesis now!"

The spider ninja ran out of there like a dog with its tail tucked between its legs. He was outnumbered. He abandoned his comrade and high tailed out of the battle scene.

Yuki held his breath the whole time after that. The other ninja kids didn't know about Sasuke. They've probably only heard his name once in their life when they were listing the world's most dangerous _shinobis._ But Sasaki Ruri and Miyako knew who he was.

"Uchiha Sasuke," Ruri said coldy and pointed her sword at him. "I repeat, what are you doing here?"

Sasuke was getting dizzy. He was using all his strength just to stand up straight. The poison Nichi injected him with was taking affect fast and painfully. His fingers and toes have gone numb. Soon he started swaying.

Out of habit, Yuki walked up to him to help Sasuke stand. But when he was in arm's length, Sasuke pushed him away harshly. Sasuke walked over to Aimi who still hasn't started breathing yet. He place his hand above her chest and summoned a little bit of lightening type chakra and used it as an EMP. Her heart started to beat regularly and she sucked in her first breath in a long time with a gasp.

He went around the sleeping ninjas and did the same thing. He sent a pulse of electricity to return everything back to its natural function. They woke up as if they had a nightmare.

The whole time Sasaki Ruri held her blade up without dropping her defense. _This man is dangerous_, she said to herself. Even if he had helped them out, killed Nichi, and saved some of the children he was still a rogue ninja on a wanted poster.

She was afraid that he would escape. But then Sasuke fell to the ground on his knees. His senses and nerves blacked out for a second and took him by surprise. He fell to the ground and his body refused to move, in shock. The poison was working fast.

Yuki was the first one by his side. His eyes were wide with surprise and worry. Yuki touched Sasuke's hand; he was as hot as live coals. Who had done this to his superior uncle, how did they do it?

A sharp pain exploded Sasuke's gut.

_Chikyu-ban was coated with a special poison from my clan! It's impossible to cure! Within four hours you'll start to feel feverish and then your organs will burn from the inside out as the poison eats it away!_

Those were the words the Nichi had said. A warm goo-ish liquid ran up his throat. Out came red hot blood from his mouth. The poison had started eating his intestines.

"What's wrong?" Yuki asked in a muted whisper.

"I have four hours to live," Sasuke admitted casually.

Yuki froze. Four hours. Only four left. Impossible.

"What are you doing?" Sasaki Ruri demanded from Yuki, snapping him out of his surreal reality. "Why are you helping him stand, Konoha ninja boy?"

Yuki thought for an excuse, but there was none. So he acknowledged it, "I'm this man's nephew."

"No!" Sasuke screamed, denying. "He has nothing to do with me! I don't know who he is."

"That can't be it! You LIE!" Senbo screamed. It was his time to shine, no one can take this chance away from him. He will smack Shirakawa into the ground with this truth. "I saw them! I saw Shirakawa's _Sharingan_! He's a kin to Uchiha Sasuke, a wanted ninja!"

Yuki didn't have anything to say. He was prepared for it without knowing the consequences. All he could think of was a way to save Sasuke.

"Miyako, tie the two of them," Ruri commanded and Miyako got to work right away.

Aimi watched as Miyako handcuffed Yuki's wrists together and then tied the rope around his shoulders. She just woke up from a trauma; she couldn't take in what she was seeing.

"I'll lead us back to Konoha for the remainder of the trip," Ruri said as she sheathed her sword. "Uchiha Sasuke doesn't look so good. What has happened to him?"

"He was poisoned," Yuki said, frantically. "He has only four hours to live."

"Then we must hurry. Konoha would want him alive to interrogate. He has many secrets that must be pried out and I would very much like to see him tortured. Let's go. We have no time to loose."

Ruri led the way as Aimi went on ahead to contact Haruno Sakura, the only person that might have a chance at saving Sasuke before he dies. Konoha was a half day away. If Sakura came from Konoha they would meet in the middle in six hours. Nichi's poison was strong, can Sasuke take it?

Yuki walked close to Sasuke and helped him by letting Sasuke lean on his shoulder. He could barely stand, never the less travel at such a fast pace. Yuki pulsed his own chakra through Sasuke hoping that it would somehow slow the poison. He kept Sasuke's heart beating at a nice slow pace. He prayed the whole way that he would make it to Konoha alive even if he had to carry Sasuke on his back.


	10. Fourth Meeting, Part 3

Fourth meeting, part three

_They friendship oft has made my heart to ache: do me my enemy for friendship's sake. ~William Blake_

Sasuke forced his heavy eye lids open. His head felt fuzzy and started to throb as he tried to assemble the jumble of memories he remembered. His abdomen had pinprick pains and it felt like he had the stomach flu. He tried to move his fingers to scratch an itch at his ear, but his hand wouldn't move. It felt extremely uncomfortable to him, but he had to bear with it.

He recognized the room he was in. It was a special jail cell, isolated from all the other prisoners in Konoha's detention center. He was lying on a stone cot in the center of the room. He turned his head since it was the only thing that seemed to be able to move and explored the place with his sharp eyes.

The cell was lit up by two oil candles on the other side of thick two inch iron bars. The only entrance and exit were the iron bars sealed behind a large iron vault. He couldn't get out and no one can come in. The cell was amazingly sanitary for a prison cell. There wasn't even the smallest peep hole for cockroaches or rats to crawl in and out from.

Just then the large door of the vault creaked opened noisily. Two guards and a man dressed in a long white garb appeared. The man in the white coat stepped forward; the thick iron bars that stood between them blocked his face.

"I'll speak with him alone," he said to the guards quietly. Sasuke recognized the voice. He would never forget that voice.

"But, Hokage-sama," one of the guards said, "he's dangerous."

"Don't belittle me," he said calmly, maturely. "I am the Hokage after all."

"Yes sir," the guards said at the same time. They bowed at the same time and closed the door with a loud bang as if it were all rehearsed.

The Hokage took two more steps until he was just a few inches away from the iron bars.

"It's been a long time," he whispered quietly, as if there was someone listening in on their conversation. "Sasuke."

"Yeah, it has been," Sasuke replied. "Naruto."

"I heard some appalling news yesterday," he said with the same tone.

"Don't use such formal speech," Sasuke complained. "It isn't like you."

Naruto didn't say anything. He was glad to see his best friend whom he saw as a brother after all this time. But he was the Hokage. His best friend was a criminal, it was the hard truth. He had to put on a detached façade. He turned his face away to hide the sadness on his face.

His heart was aching and he couldn't show it.

Sasuke watched his face. Naruto was never good at hiding his expressions. He was the open minded type that always believes the first thing he hears. He had always been an open book to read. If he was angry, he was angry. If he was happy, he was happy and a bright smile would appear on his face.

Sasuke smiled a little. Ever since he started living with Mayuri and Yukimura he wasn't afraid to show his friends his smile, although he can't say he has met many of his friends in the past ten to fifteen years. The idiotic Naruto is the first.

"So Hokage, eh?" Sasuke muttered, turning his face toward the ceiling.

Naruto jerked his head up at Sasuke. Was he complimenting him? Naruto thought, and what a strange subject to bring up. When he was promoted to Hokage, there were many people that never thought he'd make it as Hokage. There some that had always knew he'd be Hokage one day. One of them was his mentor, Hatake Kakashi. But he'd never thought that Sasuke would congratulate him.

"Yeah," was all that he could come up with.

"You've accomplished your dream. How's that going for you?" Sasuke questioned just to get a conversation going.

"Busy. There's almost no time to do anything else but work," Naruto admitted. The road to becoming the Hokage wasn't easy neither was the life of it. How did Gaara, the Fourth Kazekage of Sunagakure, ever manage being the Kazekage at the age of fifteen?

Sasuke chuckled quietly. _Of course,_ he thought, _what did you think it would be like, idiot?_ Then there was an awkward silence again.

"How long have I been sleeping?" Sasuke asked. He remembered that he was in a jail cell, not at a tea party with his friend. Where was Yuki? What was Mayuri doing? _Worrying no less_, he thought.

"Two days," Naruto answered. "That boy of yours is quite impressive. Who would have though he would chill your body to stop the poison from advancing? If he didn't, Sakura would have been too late in getting to you."

Sasuke remained silent. So that was what happened. Yuki had saved him from oblivion. But at the same time, he has made himself known to have been an acquaintance with Sasuke.

"Who poisoned you?" Naruto asked. With the poison extracted from Sasuke's system, Sakura was working making an antidote.

"The man was from the Nichi clan," Sasuke answered obediently. "He said it was a special poison of his clan."

"How did he fight?" Naruto continued to interrogate. "We lack information of the Nichi clan."

Sasuke answered his question without putting much thought into it. "He coated his sword with the poison and throws it like a boomerang. The end hilt is tied with a ribbon that's used to maneuver the sword in air."

"I see," Naruto muttered with his work face. Information on other clans and countries was the key to staying alive in battle. If you don't know the fighting style of your opponent then you are at a disadvantage.

Another discomforting silence…

"That boy," Naruto said awkwardly. It felt strange to ask whether or not Yuki was Sasuke's son. The two of them did look extremely alike and Yuki was very protective of Sasuke when they arrived at Konoha.

"Is not my son," Sasuke finished for him. _This misunderstanding is getting old, _he thought. But there was no use denying that Yuki had nothing to do with him anymore now that even Naruto knew. And it was about time that Yukimura took up his title as the heir to the Uchiha clan. "He's my nephew."

"Then his mother is," Naruto started.

"My sister-in-law," Sasuke concluded. "They are my brother's family."

"Uchiha Itachi's?" Naruto muttered unconsciously, another surprise for him.

"Yeah, hard to believe, right?" Sasuke said matter-of-factly. "I have been with them since Yuki was five."

Naruto didn't know what to say. There was no use in trying to hide Yuki from his heritage now that people had known. The only way to resolve this to announce it to the public, there was an Uchiha heir. But will the people accept? After all the Uchiha family was annihilated and the only two survivors betrayed Konoha not once but twice.

"I'll see what I can do," Naruto said. He desperately wanted to help this family. He's seen Yuki only once and was sure he's heard his name a couple of times before. There was no malice in that boy's eyes. "For you and for them."

"Just help them," Sasuke said. "They are the innocent ones."

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked, dreading what Sasuke would say next.

"Don't try to kid with me, Naruto," Sasuke said with hard resolve. "I've always been smarter than you. I am a captured S-ranked criminal. The only thing waiting for me is a death sentence. I'm sure the elders and advisors have already debated over this."

Naruto stayed silent. Of course. He can't outsmart Sasuke on this matter.

"I'm ready to accept the punishment." Sasuke closed his eyes. "I owe it Konoha. But the rest of the Uchiha family does not. Perhaps Konoha will forgive the Uchiha clan a little more if I died. Yuki and Mayuri would have an easier life." Sasuke opened his eyes and looked into the eyes of Naruto. "I beg you, Naruto. Let Yuki become the leader of the New Uchiha."

Naruto listened to Sasuke's plea. It was probably the first time ever in Sasuke's life that he has begged someone to do something for him. This was probably Sasuke's most pathetic state. He was immobile, trapped under the antidote of the poison with his death creeping slowly towards him and yet he was begging for the life of two other people.

"I understand," Naruto said and turned around. "I'll speak with Shirakawa and her son."

"Thank you," Sasuke said. He needed to sleep more, until the antidote kills off all the poison. His eye lids felt heavy and slowly closed as Naruto commanded the guards to open the vault door. It opened noisily and closed noisily as Sasuke fell back asleep.

"Call on the boy's mother. I wish to speak with her," the Hokage said to the guards as he walked down the dark hall slowly.

"Yes sir," one of them said and hurried before them.

Naruto got to his office quickly after he left the prison. He needed to collect his thoughts before he met with Shirakawa Mayuri. Unfortunately for him, Mayuri arrived at his office five minutes after he got there. It was the first time he's laid eyes on Shirakawa Mayuri.

She was wearing a gigantic purple _susohiki_ with marvelously stitched _kumon_ patterns of lavender clouds with sky blue doves soaring along with the cloud patterns. Her hair was professionally done up in a perfect bun with hair ornaments made with black gold embedded with rubies and sapphires.

From afar, with a kimono that cut her in perfect proportions and her gigantic hairdo, Shirakawa looked like a very tall woman. But as she nervously walked up to Naruto's desk, he guessed she was barely up to five feet. Perhaps four foot ten. She was so tiny. Her face was small and her shoulders were slim. The only features that were huge were her large lilac colored moonstone eyes and her physically small hands that seemed large enough to hold the whole world at that moment.

She took a professional sweeping bow and the ornaments in her hair dangled from the black gold headband. "Please excuse me for appearing like this. I was still a work," she said formally as she could.

"No. No. It's my fault for neglecting to inform you about anything and then calling you here so suddenly," Naruto said awkwardly.

"That's fine. If waiting patiently is what a mother can do in such a situation then that's what I will do," she said patiently and tried to be as calm as she could.

Naruto couldn't help but lower his head in response. He felt ashamed and awkward all over. The image he had conjured up of Itachi's wife was a tall woman with biceps and an overwhelming aura around her, most definitely not someone like Mayuri, small and fragile, like a doll. "Um, this is a little awkward to say," he said, his eyes wandering around the room just so that he won't stare at her to make it even awkward.

"It's alright, Hokage-sama," she said almost in a whisper. "You know about Sasuke-san don't you?"

Naruto's eyes darted over at Mayuri as wide as a full moon. She was facing the ground and he couldn't make out her expressions, but she sounded so sad.

Mayuri could feel Naruto staring at her and she quickly rubbed the tears out of her eyes. "I always knew this would happen one day. It's impossible to keep a secret forever. Where is Yuki?"

"Oh," Naruto stuttered. His mind was a mess and empty at the same time. "Your son?" he stammered. "He's in a secure isolated place," he said trying to make the situation sound better than it actually is.

Yuki was locked somewhere in the mountain where the faces of the Hokage were carved. The news about his assumed heritages made its way to the ears of the Elders quickly. Naruto had already met with them once and debated that he would at least be interrogated before they decide to throw him in prison.

"Right now he's being detained until further notice," Naruto continued. He turned around to face the giant window in his office. He found a random spot of interest and just stared at it, distracting himself. "But we need to confirm something immediately." He turned back around with his work face on. "Is your son indeed the heir to the Uchiha clan?"

"Except for Sasuke-san, Yuki is the only person with Uchiha blood running through his veins." Mayuri's pretty face grew sullen. Her usual glow disappeared. "I suppose that would make him the heir. But I'm afraid of what others would say. Yuki may be considered a ninja genius, but he's sensitive. I don't wish for him to be harmed by the harsh words the clan may bring him."

Naruto looked at Mayuri's small collapsing figure. What kind of fate will this family have? The boy, only fifteen years old, must endure the burdens his father and uncle endured. It must have been a family legacy.

He walked close to Mayuri. She was even smaller up close. Her slight shoulders drooped and her hair shimmered dully. She has already had her everything taken away from her once, will she lose everything again? Naruto pitied and sympathized.

"I will try to do everything I can for your son," Naruto said without much confidence. Mayuri raised her small head of gold. Her amethyst crystal eyes shone with hope and dejection. "But he still must assume the Uchiha clan," Naruto finished. "Perhaps this was his father's legacy to revive the once powerful clan under Konoha."

"Did you know Itachi?" Mayuri asked quietly. The sound of his name still made her heart skip a beat. It had been a very long time since she had heard his name. She smiled as if she had no more worries in the world.

"I only knew him as an enemy," Naruto confessed. "The only times that I've seen him face-to-face were only in combat. So I can't say I know him personally. But seeing how his son was brought up I can't help but doubt the way that I thought about him and to think that we had all perceived him the wrong way."

Mayuri smiled. "Humans are not like the paintings we see drawn on paper. We all have many sides and our own personalities. He was just the same as everyone else; he had a heart and breathed air."

"The way you talk about him makes me more curious about whom he was exactly," Naruto admitted. He turned around after the mood seemed to lighten up a bit. No doubt she was still in love with Itachi. But he wanted to move from the subject about her late husband.

He remembered the time when Sakura came up to him when they were still kids and claimed she was over Sasuke. She had such a pained face on just thinking about someone she liked and losing that person. How would Mayuri feel if she had to remember her dead husband?

"I've spoken with Sasuke," he told her. "I'll be responsible for what happens to your son. I'll take him as my student. And I'll help him make New Uchiha, that's what I promised Sasuke. He asked me with hopes of reviving Uchiha, it is his wish, and I believe, also his brother's. I need one thing to assure your well being in Konoha though."

"If it's anything that I can give," Mayuri said.

"I don't know if this is so, but Sasuke believes that Itachi left you with secrets about the Akatsuki, other countries, and secrets about Uchiha Madara whom we are not sure whether is dead or alive. If there's anything he left with you information like that, I need it to bargain with the elders for your safety."

"I will give them to you as soon as this is over," Mayuri agreed with a faint whisper.


	11. Fourth Meeting, Part 4

Fourth meeting, part four

_Our genes make us immortal. ~The Secret of Life, PBS_

Yuki was sitting in the small dark room he was ushered into two days ago. People he didn't know came to him twice to give him food. He was treated as a prisoner, even though he didn't know why. But he didn't care about any of that. He just wanted to know how his uncle was doing and how his mother was. The only news he's got was that Sasuke has survived from the poison and on an antidote. There was no news about his mother at all.

A few things baffled him in which he was unable to come up with answers. One of them were why was Sasuke appeared out of nowhere during the mission? But he quickly came up with that one. His mother had asked Sasuke to follow him, or Sasuke came on his own accord, or both. But that wasn't important. What bugged him more were the faces the guards made when they saw the group of kids arrive at the village gates, frightened and full of hate. And also what Sasaki Ruri said.

"_Konoha would want him alive to interrogate. He has many secrets that must be pried out. Let's go."_

Yukimura had always known his uncle to be a secretive man and he took the example of his mother to never pry about Sasuke's past. He was told when time allowed it, he would learn everything. But Yuki had wished that the time would never come, because his mother had said it in such a somber way. As if they would lose Sasuke if his secrets were revealed.

Suddenly, while in the middle of his thoughts, a loud roaring of metal against metal sounded in the dark hall. His mother was with the Hokage at the other end of the hall with a small candle.

"Mother," he called out as he got up from his knees and went over to her.

"I'm fine," she told him and held out a hand to stop him before he got on with a bodily inspection for any injuries.

She said she was just fine but he could tell with the dull glimmer in her eyes that something happened.

"What about uncle?" Sasuke asked.

Mayuri opened up her small mouth to say something, but nothing came out. What can she say to her son who relies on Sasuke so much? How can she say to him that his own uncle will be executed publicly? How can she tell him he will lose his father-figure in such a shameful way? Tears weld up in her eyes and rolled down her cheek.

"Mother!" Yuki yelled and grabbed her slight shoulders with his large hands that were so much like his father's. "Tell me!"

The Hokage besides her grabbed his wrists off of Mayuri with an iron hold. He eyes were filled with heated resolve and looked right into Yuki's raging ones.

"Let go of me!" Yuki screamed and jerked his hand away from Naruto. He came back up and grabbed the man by his collars, pushing him against the wall. "It's your fault!" he accused. "You're the Hokage! You have all the say in this matter!"

Naruto stood there patiently. "Shirakawa-san," he said to Mayuri gently, "please leave the room." He didn't want her to see what he was going to do to discipline her son. She has already tried to hard coping with everything; she didn't need to see this next part. "Please. Just wait outside."

Mayuri couldn't stop the tears from spilling, even though she told herself not to cry. She left the room, entrusting the news to Naruto. The guards that accompanied them shut the door behind her and she waited outside patiently, like what she always did and will always do.

Inside the room, at the very second the iron door closed, Naruto grabbed Yuki's arms, turned in a circle, and swept his feet off the ground tossing him over his shoulder in one smooth motion at the speed of light. The boy landed on the ground with a hard thud. His instincts and reflexes weren't working right in his state of mind.

Yuki got up weakly.

"I know how you feel," Naruto said. "I've had my fill of man handling people out of rage when it was out of my place."

"You have no idea how I feel," Yuki criticized.

"Your uncle said the same thing to me once. He had lost his entire family when I had no family to begin with," Naruto said. He knew the perfect remedy for things like this, a good heart to heart talk between men and maybe just a little of throwing around of fists.

Yuki charged at Naruto with his fists expecting to plunge through his face. But Naruto easily evaded it. He bend down and thrust his palm up at Yuki's chin which caused him to fly up a couple of inches and then spun around in a tight circle and smashed his heel at Yuki's abdomen sending him fly until he hit the wall on the other side.

"However," Naruto continued without losing the tempo of the one-sided battle, "that isn't for you to say. Since now I have acquired a family of my own. I understand the fear of losing her."

Yuki crawled up from the ground. Beat up and dirty, he was now calm of his emotions. He sat in the dark in a pathetic heap.

"Sasuke was my friend," Naruto said sadly. "I knew him better than anyone else. This is also why I understand his decision at this time." Naruto set down a glass bottle and a clean towel. "Here are some pain killers, use this if you want and wipe off the blood on your face if you don't want your mother to see.

Naruto left the room quietly.

Yuki sniffled and forced back the tears. He took the towel and whipped away the blood, but left the pain killers there. Some part of him wanted to remember the physical pain, and if he couldn't' hold back the tears he can say it's because of the pain.

Mayuri came in a few minutes later. She seems to have calmed down just as much as Yuki although her eyes were tried from blinking back tears and still having them to fall out. She walked over to Yuki softly and slowly as if she didn't have any power in her legs.

"Let's go, Yuki dear," she said softly, her voice still sweet even in her sorrow.

Yuki didn't move. It wasn't that he didn't want to move. His ears perked up when he heard his mother's voice, but he couldn't find the will or the strength to beckon to his mother's call.

"Let's go," she repeated as she bend down and took a weak hold on Yuki's arm, trying to pull him up. "Let's go see Sasuke-san," she said.

Yuki pulled himself off the ground and followed his mother out of the room. He kept his head down as they walked into the light and moved to another place following the Hokage and his guards that are no doubt keeping an eye on Yukimura. They assumed him to be a bad guy because he's affiliated with Uchiha Sasuke and even though their Hokage was showing Shirakawa Mayuri and Yukimura favor and trust, they couldn't bring themselves to trust them.

They followed Naruto to a separate building away from the prison in Konoha and down a long flight of steps and down a long hallway. He said he had moved Sasuke out of the prison hold since it was dangerous for Mayuri and Yukimura to enter that place.

Sasuke was in a room that was pretty decorative for a place to hold a prisoner. There were traditional antiques on the walls even though the room itself was in ruins. The two guards with them before were told to wait outside the place where the first entered from.

On the wall that Sasuke was sitting in front of was a large painting of a tribal symbol, a large white fan with a red tip. It was old and dusty but had an aura of power around it. Yuki gazed upon the large painting. He has never seen it before, but he felt and air of familiarity with it.

Sasuke watched the boy as he looked upon his tribe's symbol for the first time. His feet and hands were bound and his chakra gates were closed by a master physician so he could not use any of his _jutsus_. "Yukimura," he said to him.

Yuki returned to reality when his uncle called him.

"Sit," Sasuke said and Yuki obeyed. He sat down on the cushion placed in front of Sasuke. Naruto came behind Sasuke and unlocked his hand cuffs.

"You won't run away will you?" he asked quietly as a joke, but Sasuke took it seriously. He would never run away again.

"Uncle, is that?" Yuki asked curious about the symbol.

"Yes, it is. That's the symbol of our family, the Uchiha. Today I will announce you as the heir to the Uchiha name, although it's close to ruin. Will you accept your father and forefathers' name, Yukimura?" Sasuke asked.

Yuki glanced at Mayuri standing at the side. She nodded to him. Mayuri and Sasuke have only talked about the Uchiha in to Yuki once, when he obtained his Sharingan.

"Before I bestow you the title you are due I must tell you of the evil things that I have done before," Sasuke said. He held up a hand when Yuki wanted to go against that statement. "I am the one that murdered your father and the one that betrayed Konoha beyond forgiveness. Because of what I have done in the past others may hate you and curse you, Yuki. But remember your father and your mother and continue to live in what is right. Your mother has taught you well. Never be blinded by malcontent for something you could not control.

The Seventh Hokage, Uzumaki Naruto, will take your ninja training from here, and I promise you, he is the best of the best. Learn well from him. Do you understand?" Sasuke asked.

Yuki bowed his head and said, "Yes."

"Raise your head," Sasuke said and Yuki did so. "I will now bestow upon you the secret to the power of Uchiha." Yuki closed his eyes as Sasuke reached with two fingers and tapped him on the forehead lightly.

There was a warm wave that flowed from the place Sasuke touched and it filled Yuki's body. It felt like the light he saw so many years ago when he was only seven. Yuki opened his eyes and felt like crying for some reason.

"That was how your father gave me his power to me when he died," Sasuke said with a bitter smile. "I hope to pass on his legacy." Sasuke put a hand on Yuki's shoulder, "You are the greatest gift that your father has given us."

Sasuke, then, handed Yuki a closed scroll with a paper seal. "In this scroll there are all the secrets of the Uchiha clan, its powers and its past. I sealed it when I laid eyes on it after the Uchiha massacre. Now it is yours to do with that you will. I trust that you make the right decisions."

"Thank you, Uncle," Yuki said. "But in exchange for all this, I would wish that you—that you wouldn't have to…" Yuki muttered, he really wanted it that Sasuke didn't have to be executed.

"I have done too many bad things in my life already and I can't atone for all of them by good deeds alone. What must be done must be done, and I've accepted my death."

"I don't care what others may say about you or what the law makes you out to be. You are my uncle! You are the person that taught me my first _ninjutsu,_ _taijutsu, _and_ genjujtsu. _ You taught me what it means to be chivalrous and brave in battle," Yuki said with his head bowed so no one can see his tears.

Sasuke put and hand on Yuki's head and petted it like he used to do when Yuki was just a child. "Thank you for thinking so highly of me. Perhaps it was just to pay back you to father by taking care of you, but you have really become just like a son to me. Be strong until the end, Yukimura," Sasuke said as his own tears started to spill gently down his cheek as for the first time he realize the full meaning of family.

A week later it was time for Sasuke's pubic execution. In the middle of the village on an elevated scaffold built just for this event, Sasuke sat in a white robe at the center. A crowd gathered at the stage in just a couple of minutes. Those that were younger simply were curious; it was their first time witnessing an execution, and the older people who knew of Sasuke's deeds in the past.

Mayuri was with Yuki in the crowd. It was one of Sasuke's wishes to watch him instead of turning their heads away shamefully. It was time for his execution at noon and the crowd has become even larger. It seemed as if the whole village has gathered to see.

A judge walked to the front of the platform and started to list his crimes. In the large crowd he could easily find Mayuri and Yukimura. They faces were somber and Mayuri was on the brink of crying again. She held onto Yuki's hand tightly who was gritting his teeth as if in pain.

Naruto was standing at the window of his office. He didn't have the time to be at the execution, but he could see it clearly from his window view. The sun was high up in the sky and it was time. He set his tea cup down on his desk and closed his eyes.

The judge had finished reading off Uchiha Sasuke's crimes and the executioner placed a tray with a bowl of clear liquid in front of him. The poison glimmered in the light like water. It was tasteless and odorless. It went down your throat just like water. But when the liquid hits the stomach it will start to feel like fire burning your body from the inside out.

Sasuke took the bowl with his hands that were still cuffed. He held the cool ceramic bowl to his lips and watched Mayuri and Yukimura in the distance for just one more second then closed his eyes. As he let the cool liquid run down he thought, "_If this can't atone for my own crimes then at least let this let Mayuri and her son live peacefully. I do not need any forgiveness, God. But please have mercy on them._"

He set the bowl in its place with a loud heavy crash as the poison start to take effect. He grabbed the thin fabric of the robe at his chest as the fire of the toxins emerged in his gut and ran down his intestines and spread through his body. It moved faster than he thought it would. He guessed that Naruto argued with the elders to use a faster reacting poison instead of one that drags out the pain.

He head start to dizzy from the pain and he fell over. He caught himself with his free hand although it pulled his body down with his wrists cuffed together. It didn't matter how humiliating he looked right now, the pain was much more excruciating. His finger nails dug into the hard wood as he bore with the fire that has spread down his spine and legs. He looked out at the crowd again, looking for his family. Mayuri was in tears and Yukimura forced his eyes opened as they promised.

Tears squeezed out of Sasuke's eyes as he writhed in anguish as the fire has reached his neck and choked down on him. He could feel the fire slowly gather around his still beating heart as it wrapped fiery fingers around and strangled it. As the torture and agony reached its peak it suddenly just disappeared. He didn't know if it was because his brain has gone numb because of the pain or it if was magic but the fire became warm. Instead of hot and merciless flames trying to quench every little bit of life out if his heart, it was as if a pair of gentle hands have wrapped around him, receiving him.

By then his eyes couldn't see clearly and his lungs have collapsed. He couldn't feel an ounce of pain anymore.

"Nii…-san," he muttered with his last breath as his heart finally stopped.

The physician at the scene took his pulse and declared him dead at noon. Then the judge declared to the crowd of his death.

"If there are family or friends that are here, you may claim the body by order of Uzumaki Naruto, the Seventh Hokage," the judge said.

Mayuri and Yukimura waited for the crowds to disperse before advancing to the scaffold. The executioner has taken his hand and foot cuffs off and laid him on his back. Instantly, someone came to talk to Mayuri as Yuki stood there like a dead log. As he looked on at Sasuke's face a strange stinging came to his eyes. Warm liquid ran down his cheeks and trickled onto the wood.

Everyone stopped to stare.

Mayuri turned around as her son cried tears of blood. "Yuki," she whispered in awe, "you're eyes…"

Unconscientiously, his _Sharingan _had activated and upon that it evolved. The pupils formed themselves into their own clever kaleidoscope-like design.

"Uncle, he," Yukimura managed to mutter. "He finally looks at peace."


	12. Fifth Meeting, Epilogue

Epilogue

_Coming together is a beginning, staying together is a progress and working together is a success. ~ Henry Ford_

Two weeks have passed since the execution. Sasuke's body has been preserved in an ice cooler at the morgue. Mayuri was handling the funeral plans and Yukimura was busy with his examination. Even though he had previously earned his title as a _Jounin_ ranked ninja it was revoked with the discovery of his heritage.

He had to get used to a new way of life. People that were comfortable around him now avoid him, but he was prepared for it. He just focused on his training with Naruto. He had the chance to regain his title at the next exam.

Mayuri stood in front of the counsel of elders whom she has gotten used to seeing. Their grouch faces always rejecting her.

"You've come again today," the old woman said. "We've already rejected your notion a hundred times, yet you come a hundred more times!"

"And even if you reject me those hundred times I will ask a thousand more until I get your approval. Please, open the Uchiha land and let me bury Sasuke-san there with his family. It's been two weeks, we can't wait anymore," she pleaded.

"I don't care about a criminal's body," the old woman spat. "Just bury him anywhere or nowhere at all! Stop brothering us!"

Naruto was always with her when she meets the counsel. They were cruel to her and judgmental. If he weren't there with her they would have tossed her around with cruel curses.

"How about this," Naruto said with authority. This needed to stop. "If my student, Yukimura, is able to pass the _Jounin_ exams without failing even one test then that would prove him to be chivalrous enough to take the Uchiha clan on his own shoulders. You would open up the land and give it up him who deserves his family's land." Naruto paused and smiled, "I know you love a good gamble Advisor Shinkuro."

The old man chuckled. "And what would you give if you lose the bet?"

"How about never talk about this again," Naruto said, this time appealing to the interest of the old woman.

"Deal! Never speak of this again if the boy fails. Now get out of here, we are busy people here," she yelled, weaving her hand as if shooing a fly.

"I'm glad we are on terms," Naruto said. "I'll see you again at the arena," he said as he walked out.

"I won't be there to witness your failure, boy!" Advisor Shinkuro said.

Mayuri bowed quickly and exited the room following Naruto.

"Thank you for that, Naruto-san," she said, satisfied, there was no way that Yukimura will fail at something he has already passed and has even more training for.

"It's nothing. To deal with people like them you just need to know what makes them interested," Naruto said.

"Well it saved me from going there a thousand times," Mayuri said. "Now we can finally find Sasuke-san a resting place among his family."

"I was thinking," Naruto said looking down at Mayuri. "You've always been thinking about how to deal with Sasuke's body. What about Uchiha Itachi?"

"He's buried already," she said quietly.

"Well, I think, when everything is settled let's relocate your late husband's grave among his family's also."

Tears weld up in Mayuri's eyes. She has never visited Itachi's grave after she had Yukimura. He was buried all the way in the land of Amekagure. There was no way she could travel all the way while trying to raise Yuki.

"That would be lovely," she said.

Naruto smiled. "Now let's get Yuki ready for that exam."

Yuki was practicing in his usual spot. He couldn't find the will to concentrate on self-training anywhere except where he and Sasuke trained in the past. Beads of sweat trickled down his brow and he wiped it away with his wrist. Training helped a lot. It calmed him down.

Mayuri and Naruto came from behind the woods that surround his secret training area. Their mood seems happy which a surprise was since Mayuri would look dejected by the rejections all the time.

"What's going on?" Yuki asked.

"We got permission," Mayuri said with a large smile Yuki had missed.

"Really?"

"On one condition," Naruto said. "You have to pass the _Jounin_ exam with no problems."

"That's it?" Yuki asked. He had worried for a second of what bizarre condition it would be. He just needed to pass the exams?

"Yes," Naruto said. "And we know you can do it."

The exam was in a week and Yuki had been training every hour to every second. There was no doubt that he could pass without problems. But he wanted to make sure nothing can back fire. This match has the Uchiha name riding on it.

On the exam day Yukimura stood at the center of the large arena facing opponent for the match. The crowd was watching intently as the students pulled out every little trick they knew in their battles. Naruto and Mayuri were watching and so were the counsel.

"State your name," the proctor said before starting the match.

"Sasaki Kenjo," his opponent affirmed.

"And yours?" the proctor asked turning to Yuki.

Yuki said with certainty and a handsome smirk across his face, "My name is Uchiha Yukimura!"

* * *

**So there were a lot of questions asking if the last chapter was really the end and one question asking if Sasuke is really dead. Well, I hope the epilogue answered your question.**

**I just want to thank all of the readers for the support and reviews. Ever time I see a little email from fanfiction labeled [Review] I get all excited. So thanks guys.**

**So I guess this is me saying, "To be continued."**

**Check out the next edition of the _My Father..._ sequel, _The Minstrel and The Ninja._**

**RueLin,**


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